An Unlikely Alliance
by Addicted1
Summary: Against her better judgment, Regina offers to help David get Snow and Emma back from Fairy Tale Land. Eventual Evil Charming with development of Regina's relationship with Henry. Will borrow from Season 2 but go AU. Rating is for future chapters. Spoiler Alert through 2x9 Queen of Hearts.
1. I don't want to be you

_**A/N: Hello All! I've decided to attempt a multi-chapter Eventual Evil Charming fic. This story is an alternative possibility for how David and Henry could have gotten Snow and Emma back from Fairy Tale Land. This story will borrow heavily from some season 2 episodes and will refer to events from season 1 as well, so do not read this if you do not wish to be spoiled. This chapter, in particular, is almost solely from Episode 2x2 (We are Both), but I thought it was useful for set-up and tone purposes. Please read and review! I would love to know what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time is owned by Disney/ABC/ESPN. I am borrowing their universe for my own profit-less amusement. Fair warning: if you sue me, your legal expenses will exceed my assets. But a big thank you to Disney for employing such a talented group of writers, crew members, and cast members that put together this wonderful show.**_

xxxxx

Henry's small voice echoed in her mind, "_I don't want to be you_."

She felt like she had been punched in the gut. All the air had been sucked from her lungs. _I don't want to be you. _The phrase was all the more painful for its familiarity. Her mind rang with the harmony of her younger voice with Henry's: _I don't want to be you_.

So, this was it. After all of her protesting that she didn't want to become her mother—she had even sucked most of a world through a dimensional portal to get away from her, for gods' sakes—it had happened anyway. She was Cora all over again. It was inevitable, she supposed. Maybe that was why she felt entirely devoid of surprise. Nauseated, yes. Suffocated, yes. Surprised, no.

How had she gotten to this point? Using magic to maintain control over her son. Because control is what it was; it wasn't love. How she wanted it to be love, though! Tears pricked at her eyelids. Everything had gone so terribly wrong.

She may have already turned into her mother. There wasn't much to be done about that. The ship, as they say, had sailed. She had conducted the majority of her life in a vengeful haze. Whatever moral compass she might have had before Daniel's murder had been obliterated by her pain and rage. Choice after choice—the sum total of which brought her to this moment. This moment, when her son echoed her young words back to her, with her in the role of her mother.

Her heart ached. Decades had passed, but she remembered the desperation she felt, the longing for freedom, when she was in Henry's position. She didn't want to do that to him. She might not know how to do it very well (or well at all), but she does love Henry. And, while it might be too late for her, it wasn't too late for Henry. Maybe he didn't have to grow up to be her. Maybe he could grow up and be Henry. Maybe he could grow up and be happy.

And maybe his happiness could be her happy ending.

xxxxx

It had taken David longer than she expected for him to barge into her home demanding to see Henry. Something pretty serious and urgent must have been happening elsewhere in town to prompt such a delay.

"Henry, come down," she hollered up the stairs. "You won't be using your sword," she addressed David. It was almost cute the way he held his weapon, like a man playing at being king.

"Whatever you conjure, I can fight," he replied.

"I mean, you won't need your sword," she clarified with exaggerated patience. Playing at being king. Much like Henry. Only taller, she mused.

She moved David's sword away from her neck—_interesting that he didn't just kill me_, she thought—as Henry descended the stairs.

"Henry, you're going home with David," she told him as she met him halfway down the stairs.

"Really?" The excitement in his voice hurt, but she would have plenty of time to dwell on that later. After he left.

"Really," she confirmed. "I shouldn't have brought you here. I was . . . I don't know how to love very well. I wasn't capable of it for a very long time, but I know I remember . . . If you hold onto someone too hard, that doesn't make them love you. I'm sorry I lied to you. And that I made you feel like I didn't know who you are. But I want you to be here, because you want to be here. Not because I forced you, and not because of magic."

"I want to redeem myself." Even as she said it, the words surprised her. The rest of her speech to Henry had been more or less rehearsed while she waited for David to show up and "rescue" him. She knew she would have to give Henry up if she wanted any hope of gaining his affections again, but this desire for redemption had gone unarticulated, even to herself, until the words spilled from her mouth. It was absurd, after all—someone so evil couldn't possibly be redeemed.

"Go get your things." Henry didn't need to be told twice as he bounded up the stairs. At least in all his excitement, he'd probably forget to pack something and need to come back later to pick it up. Unless David, James, whoever he was, came back for the forgotten items alone. She frowned a bit at that.

"Then prove it." David's demand pulled her from her reverie.

"What?" This man was ridiculous. Aside from the looks, she really wasn't sure what Snow saw in him. He seemed a bit dense. How on earth was she supposed to prove that she wanted redemption? Especially when the mere idea of it was so sudden.

"The Enchanted Forest. Our land—does it still exist?" he asked earnestly.

Dense. Regina no longer had any desire to lie about the existence of the Enchanted Forest, but, even if she did, she would still tell the truth. David wouldn't be asking this question if he didn't already know or at least strongly suspect the truth. But, if he wanted to credit her truthfulness to a desire to turn over a new leaf, and not just to her ability to use deductive logic, far be it from her to correct him.

"Yes," she said. "But I have no idea how to get back there." Okay, maybe she did want to change. There really was no other explanation for the fact that she wasn't leaving him with false hope. Evil Queen Regina would have relished sending this Dense Prince on some wild goose chase to divert him from making meaningful progress at regaining his family. This must be what personal growth feels like. It wasn't a comfortable sensation.

She saw the glint in his eye as he acknowledged the challenge before him. "Ah," she said, "I can see I've launched you on a heroic quest." Okay, Snow, Regina thought. Good looks, loyalty, and determination. Maybe I do get what you see in this man. That is quite a combination. "Just make sure you take care of my son." New leaf or not, the Charming Prince would pay if he didn't watch out for Henry while he went off to scale mountains, ford rivers, or whatever this quest would require of him.

"That," he assured her, "I can do."

Appeased, Regina watched Snow White's husband leave with her son. As her gut twisted, she couldn't help but wonder if redemption wasn't all it was cracked up to be.


	2. A Proposition

_**A/N: This chapter still falls solidly in the set-up category, but hopefully you'll appreciate the character development (however slight) and the divergence from the show's canon. Please R&R! I won't know what to change in future chapters if you don't tell me. (But please be nice. My ego is shamefully fragile.)**_

xxxxx

It had been two days since Henry left with David, and Regina was finding her apple tree a poor substitute for her son. She didn't even have the diversion of bureaucratic nonsense to pass the time since stepping down as mayor. Not that she otherwise minded losing the title. It's not like she particularly wanted to serve a community of people who hated her. She had been good at it though, and she would miss the strategy of politics. At the moment, though, her ousting just contributed to the unwelcome predicament of having too much time on her hands.

The quiet and the endless ticking of the clock were fraying her nerves. Inaction did not suit her. She needed a project. She needed a mission. She needed to get her son back.

Her mission was not that simple though. She couldn't just perform another legal kidnapping like when she reclaimed custody at the town meeting. No, she needed Henry to want to return to her. Master manipulator that she is, this was still no small task. Especially since she really didn't want to manipulate Henry; she wanted something longer-lasting. She wanted him to choose to love her.

How could she ever hope for his attention, let alone his love, with Emma Swan in the picture? She had tried eliminating her—that was a disaster. Even if she wasn't attempting this whole redemption concept, permanently removing Ms. Swan would only turn her into a martyr in Henry's eyes, making her even more of an obstacle in her absence than in her presence.

There was an odd thought. Maybe Emma Swan is less of a problem physically present in Storybrooke than she is missing in the Enchanted Forest. Physically present, she can make mistakes, be taken for granted, crumble under the parental pressure, and possibly even bolt from town in the dead of night under her own volition. Then, maybe Henry would notice that she, not Emma, was the mother that would always be there for him.

But he could never come to that realization while Emma was in the Enchanted Forest. As long as she was gone, she would be Savior Mom in Henry's eyes—his valiant birth mother who swooped in, slayed a dragon, and saved him and the rest of the town from the Evil Queen's curse.

Her path was clear. She had to rescue Emma Swan.

xxxxx

"Thank you for meeting me," Regina said as she slid into the booth at Granny's.

"Of course," David replied. "You said it was about Henry. Besides, you are too smart to try anything in the middle of the diner."

"Unless I wanted to kill everyone," she countered.

"True. But, if that were the case, you would have already done it," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Point taken." Despite the Prince's implication that she was capable of mass murder, she couldn't help but smile a bit. Maybe he wasn't the Dense Prince after all. It seemed he could be somewhat quick-witted. Hopefully that meant that this proposal of hers might not be as painful as she initially expected.

Ruby sauntered up to their booth, order pad in hand, but she turned an accusing eye toward David. "And just what is this about?" she demanded, indicating Regina's presence.

"I don't know yet, Ruby," David responded. "Why don't you give us a minute, and I'll let you know."

"Fine," she replied, though her expression indicated that she considered his fraternization with Regina anything but fine. "Drink orders?"

"Just water for me, please," Regina said.

"Same for me," David added.

"I'll be right back with that," Ruby said as she walked away. Great, she thought. Not only do I have to watch Snow's husband confer with the Evil Queen, but I'm not even going to get a decent tip. _'Just water.'_ Nice.

"Okay, Regina," David said. "Just what is this about?"

"I want to help you get Snow and Emma back." There. She said it. She even said each of their names without visibly flinching. It was a good start.

David looked incredulous. "Just like that?" he asked. "You just woke up this morning and decided to help bring back the two people you hate most?"

"No," Regina responded with exaggerated patience. "Not just like that. And I don't hate them," she added in a quiet voice. She pushed on before he could latch onto that statement. "I told Henry I want to redeem myself. Helping bring back Snow and Ms. Swan seems like a logical place to start."

He hadn't gotten up to leave, so that was promising, but she could see that he was still skeptical of her motives.

"I just want Henry to be happy," she said softly. Then, in a stronger voice, she continued, "And we both know that Henry won't be happy until Ms. Swan and Snow are back."

David could not deny the logic of her statement, but the obvious needed to be stated. "I would have to be a fool to trust you."

"I know," Regina replied with a mirthless smile. "But, you would also have to be a fool to think that you don't need my help." Some of the tension released from her shoulders. This was the natural order of things. People were supposed to be at a disadvantage to her. She was not supposed to be in a greasy spoon diner asking for the trust of a man who had once thrown a sword at her heart.

"What do you mean?" David asked, as Ruby set their waters on the table.

"Are you ready to order?" It sounded like David and Regina were finally getting to the good stuff, Ruby thought. I might as well interrupt them.

"Grilled chicken and spinach salad with raspberry balsamic, please," Regina said, perfectly happy to keep David waiting for her reply.

"Burger with a side of onion rings, please, Ruby."

"Coming right up," Ruby told them as she collected their menus and went to put the order in.

"Well?" David asked.

"You don't seriously believe that you have any hope of retrieving your family without magic, do you?" The word "family" left a sour taste on her tongue, but it seemed to hit its mark with the Prince, who looked suddenly uncomfortable. His distaste with magic was no secret.

"You aren't the only one with magic," he protested.

"No, I'm not," Regina acknowledged. "But I'm still your best choice."

The skepticism was back on the Prince's face in full force.

She continued, "Let's examine your other options. You could enlist the help of Rumpelstiltskin. He's very powerful and is probably capable of whatever magical task it is that you require," she explained lightly. "Of course, he is the one that created this curse in the first place and made sure he had his magic back when it broke, but I'm sure you can overlook that. After all, he never has his own agenda," she paused in her speech to allow the absurdity of her last statement to sink in.

Satisfied that she had eliminated Rumpelstiltskin as a magical resource for David, she continued, "Your next logical choice would be The Blue Fairy, correct?" He reluctantly nodded, clearly not looking forward to hearing whatever she had to say about someone he respected and trusted as much as the fairy.

"My best guess is that you've already sought her help and that she couldn't, or wouldn't, help you." Regina saw the truth of her assumption as David broke eye contact and looked down at his hands. "True, she was very powerful in our land, and she did help you save Emma from the curse, but," she paused to make sure she had his attention, "Not only do you not know whether her magical abilities are up to the task outside of the Enchanted Forest, you do not even know what her goals are."

"Her goals are the same as mine," David insisted. He was not just going to sit here and let Regina slander his friend and ally.

"Oh really?" Regina laughed. It was not a comforting sound. "Your goals are always the same, are they?" The fear was back in his eyes. Good. "Then why did she tell you and Snow that the wardrobe could only transport one person when it could actually transport two? Why did she lie, when otherwise one of you could have gone through the wardrobe with Emma and prevented her from spending the first twenty-eight years of her life alone?"

"No," David shook his head fiercely. "This can't be true," he denied. "You're lying. You are lying. You just want to manipulate me so that you can weasel your way back into Henry's life. Well, it isn't going to work. So give it up."

"I don't expect you to believe me. We've established that you would have to be dim-witted to trust me, but I do expect you to seek another source in an attempt to discredit my story. In the process, of course, you will discover that I am, in fact, speaking the truth, but of course you don't believe that right now. I expect you to investigate what I am telling you, because to trust the wrong person, especially if that person is The Blue Fairy, could endanger your wife and daughter." Those familial words again. They made her want to smack her lips together to get rid of the bitter taste in her mouth. Once again, though, exploiting his family relationships played him back into her hands.

"Who could I find to corroborate your story?" David couldn't believe he was even acknowledging the possibility that she could be telling the truth. "If she did such a thing, I can't expect The Blue Fairy to just confess."

"Pinocchio." Regina said.

"Pinocchio?"

"The boy who went through the wardrobe before your daughter. I believe you know him as August."

"August?" David couldn't believe it. August was Pinocchio? And he had gone through the wardrobe? Though, it did start to make some sense. Of course Gepetto would want to save his son. But that would mean that Regina was telling the truth, and the Blue Fairy had betrayed them. His head was starting to hurt. "Where do I find him?"

"I can't do all the work for you," Regina replied sarcastically. "You're the Acting Sheriff. I'm sure you can figure it out." While she was glad David was listening to her, she was getting tired of having to plead her case to someone who would never trust her.

"How do you know all of this?" David asked.

Ah, she thought. There's that lack of trust again. "I have my ways, David. And you certainly can't expect me to reveal them to you. Particularly when you have not even agreed to work with me." _Yet_, she thought.

David acknowledged the truth of her statement with a nod and was grateful when Ruby appeared with their food. They ate in, if it was not a companionable silence, it was also not an awkward one. Despite all of his history with the Evil Queen, David couldn't help but feel that she might be behaving honestly this time. Regina was perfectly happy to give David time to organize his thoughts. She had made her case well and was confident that he would allow her to help retrieve Snow and Emma. Then she would be one step closer to getting her son back. And she had not gotten this far in life without knowing the proper time to exhibit patience.

After completing their meals in silence, Ruby returned to clear the table.

"Granny outdid herself on the grill today," Regina said. "The chicken was fantastic." See, she could be nice. Henry would be so proud. And, if the look of confusion on Ruby's face at receiving the compliment was also entertaining, that was hardly Regina's fault.

"Thanks," Ruby said. "I'll be sure to pass that along." And with a look at David that clearly demanded to know what the heck was going on, Ruby stacked their plates and returned to the kitchen.

David turned his attention to Regina, her amusement at Ruby's discomfort not lost on him. He let it go, for now. "Rumpelstiltskin is not trustworthy, and maybe The Blue Fairy isn't either," he summarized. "But that still doesn't mean I should trust you."

Despite the fact that he was making her work harder, her respect for the Charming Prince increased with his direct and accurate assessment of the state of affairs. "No, it doesn't," she agreed. Her quick agreement threw him off-balance, and she continued before he could regain it. "But you still should. You know what my agenda is. My agenda is Henry. That's all. That is the beginning and the end of my motivation. To see Henry safe and happy."

"And to get him back," David interjected. An Evil Queen with pure intentions was outside the realm of his experience.

Regina laughed mirthlessly. "I would love to get my son back," she admitted. "But I hardly think it is possible at this point." She refused to acknowledge the truth of her words. It had to be possible. She had to be able to get Henry back. She couldn't bear the alternative. "The best I can hope for, at this point, is to give him back his other family." The words were strangling her. "And maybe get him to stop hating me," she looked down at her hands. She hadn't meant to reveal so much. She hated that she had. Pity from this man would be intolerable.

"He doesn't hate you," David reached across the table and grasped her hand. "He's just confused and scared. It's not every day you wake up and realize that your mother is the Evil Queen of Fairy-tale Fame and your grandmother is Snow White." He smiled. "Henry may have been sure that the curse was real and that he had it all figured out from his book, but there is no way he was fully prepared for it to be true. He's still in shock." What was he doing? Comforting Regina, The Evil Queen? Had he lost his mind? They were mortal enemies for goodness's sake. It must be the Charming in him, he thought. Just could not resist aiding a damsel in distress, however dangerous that damsel might turn out to be. At the look of hope that temporarily suffused her face, however, he felt something warm inside his heart. But he pushed it aside to consider at another time. He had a proposal of alliance on his table that needed to be addressed.

"Regina," David began, withdrawing his hand, "I believe you love Henry. But it is common knowledge that you want both Snow and Emma dead."

"I don't want them dead," she interrupted. The truth of her words once again surprised her. How many times had she wished that Snow White was gone from her existence? And it was only days ago that she had attempted to murder Emma. How odd that she shouldn't want them dead.

Her surprise must have shown on her face, because David looked mildly amused. "You look disgusted with yourself for your lack of homicidal intentions," he told her, chuckling at the absurdity of the situation.

She glared at him, though without her usual level of malice. She didn't appreciate having her rocky road to redemption mocked so openly. "It's new for me, okay?" She snapped at him, embarrassed. This personal growth thing was humiliating.

"Well, it's good new," David replied.

"That's something, I suppose," Regina grumbled. She still couldn't believe she didn't want Snow and Emma dead. What was happening to her? The last time she saved Snow's life, it had ruined hers. Joining up with the good guys never ended well for her. She couldn't help but wonder if working with Charming was, indeed, against her better judgment. But if it could help her get her son back . . . .

"It is," David assured her. "Well, let's get started then," he leaned forward over the table. "Just how do you propose we get my wife and daughter back?"

xxxxx

_**A/N: That's it for the first installment. I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think!**_


	3. Continued Negotiations

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first couple chapters. Your encouragement is really motivating! **_

_**Also, thank you to the other fanfiction writers. I've enjoyed a lot of your work and certainly drawn inspiration from it. If you recognize elements of your stories in mine, I assure you the theft was unintentional. That said, let me know if you think you deserve to be cited, and I'll be sure to do so in future chapters.**_

_**This chapter is on the long side, but David and Regina just would not stop talking, and I didn't want their conversation to spill into a third chapter.**_

xxxxx

"_Well, let's get started then," he leaned forward over the table. "Just how do you propose we get my wife and daughter back?"_

"I expect you are trying to fix the hat?" Regina asked.

He nodded.

"Good," she continued. "And you have the dwarves mining for diamonds?"

"Wait," David protested. "How did you know that?" he asked suspiciously.

"They all came in here for lunch shortly after we sat down covered in dust and carrying their pick-axes. It seemed like the most likely conclusion," she responded wryly.

Mollified, and somewhat ashamed at his suspicion given that he had just agreed to work with her, David gave a sheepish shrug and confirmed her assumption. "Yes, they are looking for diamonds to make fairy dust," he confirmed.

She nodded, clearing turning over something in her mind.

"What is it, Regina?" he asked. If they were going to work together, he wanted to know what she was thinking. Besides, he was curious.

"Mining for diamonds is good. Definitely," she affirmed. "But, David—I know this is a lot to ask, for you to take on faith, but, when you find the diamonds, if you could hold off on allowing them to be turned into fairy dust until we talk, that could be extremely helpful." She looked at him earnestly, knowing it was awfully early in their tenuous relationship to ask him to trust her over the Blue Fairy, who was surely the one to suggest fairy dust.

"Why?"

Regina was encouraged, hearing only curiosity and no defensiveness in his tone. "Well," she began to explain, "Diamonds actually have many useful magical properties beyond acting as in input to fairy dust production." Sensing a genuine interest in David and recalling her own love for understanding the relationships among objects and their environment that was the source of all magic, she warmed to her subject. David marveled at the change in the former mayor as she explained the effect of the clarity of the gem on its ability to amplify and even store different types of magic and how the angles at which you cut the diamond could make it more useful for offensive and defensive magic. There seemed to be no end to her knowledge of the interaction between diamonds and magic, and her guileless enthusiasm for those natural laws radiated from her face and animated hands. She even drew a few diagrams on the paper napkins to illustrate her points. He was suddenly struck with the knowledge that this was the woman she could have been, should have been if everything hadn't gone so terribly wrong. It was stuck in that heavy thought that he realized she had asked him a question.

"So will you please hold off on crushing them into fairy dust?" She asked earnestly. "We may need to use at least some of them to amplify power from another source—me, the hat, whatever—to get Snow and Emma back."

Wow, he thought. Being the sole focus of this woman's attention is really something. Focus, David. Not half an hour ago you thought this woman was evil incarnate, no matter how beautiful she is, and you are discussing how to find your wife and your daughter. Wife and daughter, David.

"Yes, I think I can do that," he agreed, disproportionately pleased with the answering smile on her face. "If we even find any, that is," he commented.

"Oh, you'll find them. I know it."

Her confidence surprised him. She didn't seem like the optimistic type. "How do you know?"

"Because," she explained. The mayor's mirthless grin was back, he noticed. "Those dwarves always come through for Snow White."

Regina may not have been thrilled with her admission, but he had to admit that her observation made him feel better. Regina was right; those dwarves always did come through for Snow, especially when she needed them the most.

Before the moment between them had a chance to become too awkward, David asked, "What else do you think we should be doing to get them back?"

Regina shook her head, wanting to be clear that she did not possess a breakthrough strategy as of yet. "Other than commencing research on how to give ourselves the best chance of the hat working properly once we have diamonds, I really don't know."

"What do you mean, 'best chance of working'?" David asked worriedly. He had been so focused on making fairy dust, he had just assumed that someone could make the hat work.

Regina quirked an eyebrow in what might have been pity before explaining, "The hat is a very particular magical object, and its origins are not of this world . . ." She had begun speaking in her usual matter-of-fact tone, but as she observed the Prince growing progressively paler, she softened her manner. She placed a sympathetic hand on his arm and ducked her head to make eye contact. "David, we don't need to worry about the specifics of the enchantments right now. We will figure it out," she assured him. "And, Snow, well, you always find her." Ugh. She couldn't believe she had just used that line to make Charming feel better. She could feel the bile building in the back of her throat. As he perked up, however, she felt the bile dissipate and something else in its place . . . .

"That is what I will be working on," Regina withdrew her hand and regained her business-like tone. "Research." At his nod, she continued, "And, now, David, I have to insult you."

"What, do you have a quota or something?" he replied.

She laughed despite herself. "No, I don't have a quota," she gave into his teasing and then resumed a more serious tone. "I have a question."

"Shoot," he replied.

"Can you keep the hat safe?" she asked.

"Seriously?" he scoffed at the question. "_You_ are the person I was concerned about keeping the hat safe from."

"Don't be ridiculous!" she countered. "Okay, maybe that wouldn't be ridiculous."

He smirked at her concession.

Pushing forward, she continued, "But I am certainly not the only one that would have a reason to steal the hat. Plenty of other people in this town might want to go back to our land, to their homes. Did you think of that?"

"Everyone knows we need to get Snow and Emma back." His protest sounded weak even to his own ears.

"Look, Charming." Despite the sarcasm she always used when addressing him by his last name, the accompanying sneer was nearly absent, replaced with a carefully neutral tone. "I know that thinking the best of people is imprinted into your very soul; it is, I suspect, a great contributor to your charm—but the fact remains that we cannot ignore the possibility that some of the other people in this town might have their own agenda. And," she emphasized, "It only takes one. One person to steal the hat or to destroy it."

He couldn't ignore the truth of her last statement as much as he might like to. And, now that she brought it up, he supposed there were a lot of people in Storybrooke that might want to use the hat to reassemble their own families and lives. Just because she was right, though, didn't mean he had to like it.

"So," he asked. "Are you suggesting I give you the hat for safe-keeping?"

"Hardly," she replied. "I don't expect you to give anyone else custody of the object that is key to retrieving your family." There was that bitter taste again—family. "But you could allow me to place some protective, or even cloaking, enchantments on it to make it more difficult to find, steal, or destroy."

Her honesty once again impressed him. He couldn't do it though. He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Regina. It is quite possible that you mean well, and certainly possible that someone might try to steal the hat, but I just can't trust you. I'm not trained in magic. I would have no idea if you are performing the spells you claim to be performing, or if, as soon as I let you wave your hands and say an incantation, the hat would be gone along with my chance to retrieve Snow and Emma."

The walls that had returned to her eyes were the only indication he could observe that she was perhaps hurt by his lack of trust, but, to her credit, she merely teased him. "I wouldn't need an incantation," she winked.

Shocked, the Prince couldn't help but chuckle. The most intimidating woman in their world, whether that be Storybrooke or The Enchanted Forest, has just winked at him. His life had become very strange.

He supposed, though, that the implication of her point bore considering. She had the power. She probably could steal the hat if she so desired. The fact that she had even asked for his permission to enchant the hat could indicate that she was trustworthy . . . but he just couldn't take the chance.

"Is that it?" he asked suddenly.

"Is that what?" she asked, confused.

"Was that the entirety of your insult to me—questioning the quality of my guardianship of a mangy old hat—or is there more coming? I don't quite believe that you don't have a quota after all." David stated dryly.

"Oh, I have quotas," The Queen teased back. "But not for insults. They relate more to tangible evidence of havoc wreaked. You know, overturned cars and carriages, demolished houses and castles. Insults only help if they help me make my quota for the number of tears I cause to be shed." Her carefully casual nature belied the twinge of shame that, at one time, she had wreaked havoc of a magnitude beyond calculation. They needed to keep the mood light for the moment.

"Should we give up the table?" Regina asked. "I don't want to prevent them from doing more business."

"I suppose we should," David agreed, surprised at her consideration of Granny and Ruby.

With that, they both pulled out appropriate amounts of cash to cover their meals and headed for the door. When they reached the sidewalk, just as Regina was about to issue a salutation and head home, David interjected, "We still need to talk about Henry."

The shock was apparent on Regina's face. She longed to talk about Henry, but she hadn't wanted to push her luck with David too early.

"We do," she agreed.

David gestured for her to take a seat on a nearby bench.

xxxxx

Ruby observed the couple through the blinds. She had noticed how long they sat and chatted after finishing lunch—like it wasn't already odd enough that they were having lunch together—so she felt some slight relief when they finally concluded their business and left the diner. Her relief was short-lived, however, when she watched them sit down on a bench together. What the hell? If she hadn't known better, she would have thought they were on a date. The earnest conversation, heads tilted toward one another, the teasing tone and laughter, and even the occasional grasping of hands! She hardly knew what to think. If it wasn't for the fact that they didn't do the awkward "who is going to pay" dance with the check, and for the fact that everything that was good and right in the universe revolted against the very idea of Prince Charming with the Evil Queen, she absolutely would have thought they were on a date. And a good one at that. She shook off the uncomfortable feeling that had settled in her stomach. Time to bus their table.

xxxxx

"How is Henry?" Regina asked, eager to hear news of her son.

"He's doing well," David assured her. "Now that the town has re-opened the school, he is settling into a routine. He even seems excited about trying to make more friends. I guess, now that the curse is lifted, he knows that the other kids will start aging with him, so making friends has gained more appeal or something."

Regina forced down the twinge of regret at her selfishness for bringing an innocent, uncursed child into the cursed town of her making. She focused on the spark of joy that she felt at hearing how well her son was doing. "I'm glad," she said, avoiding eye contact. She wasn't ready for David to know just how important any information about Henry was to her. This was the last vestige of her pride, perhaps.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, chancing a glance toward his face. "Is something wrong with Henry?" she became immediately concerned as she considered the possibilities.

"No, no," David quickly assured her, placing a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to alarm you. Henry is absolutely fine. I just, well . . ."

"Yes, David?" Now that she was no longer concerned for Henry's safety, she found his discomfort and awkwardness amusing.

"I'd like your help," he finally blurted out the sentence in a rush of words.

Regina couldn't help a small laugh and touched his arm. "You really thought asking for my help would be fatal, didn't you?"

He just glared at her.

Still amused, Regina said, "Of course, whatever it is, I'll help. I do believe one of the themes of our conversation today is that I would do anything for my son. So, what do you need from me?"

Even though he felt a bit chastised at Regina's reminder of her devotion to her son, David still felt off-balance. He was unused to an accommodating and gracious Regina. He didn't quite trust this new terrain, and he kept expecting it to melt away from underneath his feet.

"I need your help to keep Henry away from magic," he braced himself for her defensive rage.

"All right," she replied.

"All right?" he couldn't believe his ears. The Evil Queen, prolific user of Dark Magic, not only wasn't protesting keeping her son away from magic, but was agreeing with him. A strange day indeed.

"Yes, all right," Regina snapped. "Do you really think I want my son meddling in something so dangerous? Of course I want him away from it."

"I'm sorry. I hadn't considered the issue from that angle," David placated the irritated queen. "But Henry's safety is my concern as well," he saw her anger dissipate somewhat at that statement and felt corresponding relief. He didn't want that new terrain dissolving beneath him if he could help it.

"Good," Regina replied.

"I could use your help," David continued cautiously. "Henry is obsessed with getting Emma and Snow back." He pretended not to notice Regina's wince and said, "I understand that he's scared for them and wants them home, but this complete fixation is unhealthy, and I'm worried it could be dangerous."

Regina's head snapped up to his at this statement. He had her complete razor-edged attention, and it was unnerving.

"Regina," David said. "It's like Henry is determined to be a hero from one of his storybooks, and I'm worried he's going to do something foolish and get himself hurt, or worse."

Regina was truly alarmed at David's words. She had harbored similar concerns when Henry was running around with Emma trying to break the curse. Though she would never admit as much to Ms. Swan, Regina had depended on her to curb Henry's wilder tendencies and keep him safe.

"David," she shook her head—how had her life come to this? The husband of the woman who ruined her life had custody of her son but still expected her to solve all of the parenting dilemmas. She was equal parts irritated that her help was required and gratified to be involved. "I don't disagree with your assessment, but I don't understand what you expect me to do about it. As you may recall, my son sees me as a caricature—The Evil Queen—and ran away to live with you."

He winced as the word 'caricature' left her mouth, but knew there was no way she would accept comfort from him regarding her relationship with Henry during this particular conversation. "Two things," he cut to the chase. "I was hoping you would condone a plan of mine for him to take safe, structured, parentally-approved knight lessons. Like learning tracking from Ruby, fencing from me, and horseback riding from you."

She was more touched than she cared to admit by her inclusion in David's plan. "That sounds good," she said. "Keeping him busy is clever, and I'm sure he'll jump at the chance to learn from you and Ruby, but . . . I only want to teach him to ride if he wants to learn from me," she spoke quietly but with conviction. "I am done making him do things he doesn't want to do, especially now that I'm not the one that has to make him go to bed and brush his teeth."

David cracked a smile at her attempt to lighten the mood. "Understood. Whether he wants lessons with you will be his choice."

"What's the second thing?" Regina asked.

"I could use your help emphasizing that it is sometimes a knight's duty _not _to rush head-first into danger, that sometimes the most honorable action is to pass the torch to someone else."

"Well stated, Prince Charming," Regina spoke genuinely. "I will do my best not to undermine your knight lessons and help when I can."

"Thank you," he said, holding her eye contact.

"Of course. He's my son."

Nodding, David was about to stand and be on his way, when Regina's voice stopped him.

"My turn for a Henry-related request," she said awkwardly. "As you know, I promised Henry that I would not use magic, but, as you and I have just discussed, I am most likely going to need to use magic if we are going to successfully retrieve Snow and Ms. Swan. Could you . . . that is, would you . . ."

"Would you like me to talk to him for you? Explain that you're working with the good guys now?"

The corners of her mouth twitched upward in a relieved, but brief, smile. "Yes. If you would." She was simultaneously filled with gratitude that David would help her in such a way and revolted by the fact that she was forced to rely on Snow White's husband to intercede on her behalf with her own son. These warring emotions were becoming too much. It was most decidedly time to conclude this extended negotiation.

"Thank you," she told him, as they stood up from the bench.

"And thank you," David replied. "I think everyone, especially Henry, will benefit from us working together."

"I hope you're right," Regina said with a small, forced smile. Years of associating 'doing the right thing' with having incredibly bad things happen to her made shaking the feeling of impending doom from her chest difficult. But she was determined to try. For Henry.

"I'll be in touch about the research and the potential riding lessons," David told her as he strode to his car.

Regina just nodded. This was for Henry.

xxxxx

_**A/N: Thank you to those who made it this far! Please let me know what you think. Also, let me know if there are certain characters or scenes you would particularly like to see. I know where this story is going, but we still have flexibility in how we get there! **_


	4. Around Town

**A/N: Another chapter that is light on plot but heavy on groundwork. I hope you like it anyway. I promise we're only a montage and a couple chapters away from a thickening plot. I hope y'all will stick with me! To move things along, I'm considering moving some interactions "off-screen," so to speak (like Henry's knight lessons), so if there is a particular scene that you would like to read, let me know, and I'll be sure to include it. Okay, on to the chapter! As always, reviews are appreciated!**

Before David could even make it to his car, he was accosted by a middle-aged woman carrying groceries. "King Charming!", she called to him, quickly approaching.

David reluctantly turned to greet the woman, though his patience was wearing thin. It seemed he couldn't go anywhere anymore without some member of the town demanding he sort out one problem or another. He suspected the only reason he hadn't been bothered sooner was because people were still scared of Regina. He couldn't help a small smirk at that thought. Maybe working with her would have other benefits beyond his quest to retrieve Snow and Emma.

"King Charming," the woman continued, having set her groceries on the hood of his car. 'Nice,' he thought sarcastically. "This is just completely unfair. You simply cannot allow it."

David regarded her blankly, but not unkindly. "Allow what?"

"Well, allow that man to take away my Caroline, of course!" She said.

The situation was beginning to appear in his memory. That's right. This woman was a Ms. Charlotte Jones, and Caroline's Fairy Tale identity was Wendy from the Neverland stories. The curse had separated her from her brothers, John and Michael—James and Anthony here—who lived with a Mr. Alan Martin. Both Charlotte and Alan were loving parents (interestingly, the curse seemed to make sure that children were taken care of), which was prompting quite the custody battle now that the siblings remembered each other and wanted to be reunited.

"I apologize, Ms. Jones," David placated her. "I remember now. Have you filed a petition with the sheriff's office?"

"I have, indeed!" she responded indignantly. "And I have yet to hear back!"

"Once again, I am sorry," David told her. "As you can imagine, there is a lot to sort through now that things are . . . different. I am working as fast as I can. In the meantime, if you and Mr. Martin can come to some kind of visitation agreement to allow the children to see more of each other, I'm sure Caroline would really appreciate that." Okay, he was playing a little dirty, using her love for her daughter to slap a band-aide on the situation, but, if there was something he had already learned from Regina, it was not to underestimate maternal love.

"Fine," Ms. Jones begrudgingly replied. "But I'm not letting him take her," she stated firmly before picking up her groceries and heading on her way.

David sent up a desperate plea to any deity that might be listening for patience and strength of character before diving into his car and throwing it into gear. It seemed saner to just avoid the rest of the townspeople for a while rather than depending on patience he may or may not have.

He knew he should head to the sheriff's office and attempt to make sense out of some of the petitions that were slowly but surely filling covering every available surface, but he didn't want to run the risk of having to moderate disputes between disgruntled townspeople that had taken to stalking his office.

On autopilot, he headed to the animal shelter. Between the chaos that followed the curse breaking and the additional demands on his time with his new roles as Henry's guardian and Acting Sheriff of Storybrooke, he was struggling to make time to take care of his animals. Now seemed as good a time as any to check in on them. Besides, spending time with them always restored his spirits.

xxxxx

Refreshed from a few hours taking care of his animals (he couldn't help thinking of them as his, despite his lack of technical ownership), David waited outside the school, contemplating how much of his conversation with Regina to share with Henry.

"David!" Henry called as he ran up to the truck. He had tried calling him 'Grandpa' once, but it was still too weird for the both of them.

"Hey, buddy! How was school?" David ruffled Henry's hair affectionately while he scrambled into the truck.

"Good! The other kids are talking to me more now that I'm living with you instead of _her_," Henry explained happily.

David hadn't exactly forgiven Regina for all of her sins to his family during her reign as Evil Queen, but he was still relieved that she wasn't in the car to hear this. He feared that he had underestimated how easy it would be to convince Henry that his mom had joined the good guys; his use of a pronoun rather than 'Mom' or even her name could hardly be considered a good sign.

"That's good, Henry. I'm glad you're making friends," David said. "But, hey, try to remember that your mom does love you—whatever mistakes she has made in the past." This was for Henry, David told himself. Whether Henry realized it or not, a good relationship with his adoptive mother was important to him. This had nothing to do with feeling sorry for Regina or wanting to help her. Nothing. This was about Henry. Really.

Henry's exuberance was subdued by David's comment. "She told me. But she's The Evil Queen. She lies."

"Not about this," David said. "And everyone lies, Henry. Not just evil queens. And everyone is more complex than any label you can attach to them." He sensed that he was rapidly entering philosophical ground beyond the scope of a ten year old's interest. "What I'm trying to say is that you should believe your mother when she says she loves you. And, when you're ready, you should try to see her as more than The Evil Queen. Things are rarely that simple."

"But they are that simple in my book," Henry defended his beliefs. "You and Snow White are the good guys, and you belong together because you found true love, and it is wrong to separate true love. Mom kept trying to split you guys up. That makes her the bad guy. Nothing can make up for what she has done to you. To everyone in this town."

David was once again grateful that Regina was not in the car. If this kept up, he was going to be forced to acknowledge that he cared about her feelings. He considered how to weaken Henry's certainty before the boy entrenched further in his Evil Queen stance on his mother. "Henry, why do you think your mom tried to split up Snow and me?"

"Umm, because she was jealous that Snow was prettier than her," Henry summarized the story from his book.

"Henry, is Snow prettier than your mom?"

"Umm, I guess so." Henry's certainty was wavering. Good.

"Would you think so if you hadn't read it in your book?"

"Umm, yes?"

"Henry, Snow and your mother are both beautiful women. Trying to decide which is more beautiful is almost absurd. It's almost just a matter of taste." David might be married to Snow, but he'd have to be blind not to notice that Regina was gorgeous, evil or not. "And do you really think your mother is so ridiculous and petty that she would curse us all because she wanted to win some sort of beauty pageant?"

Henry chewed his lip thoughtfully, so David concluded his argument with an undeniable piece of logic. "Besides, if she really just wanted to be prettier than Snow, why didn't she just curse her with boils or some kind of skin disease? We know she is a really powerful sorceress; surely she had spells at her disposal that could ensure she was the more beautiful of the two of them, if that was truly what she cared about."

"So why did she do it them?" Henry demanded, accepting, but unwilling to admit, defeat.

"I don't know, Henry. I don't know."

xxxxx

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and please let me know if you have any requests!**


	5. A Mess

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who have reviewed! I really appreciate it. This chapter originally included chapter 6, but it got a little long, so I split it into two parts. Here, David pays a surprise visit to Regina. In chapter 6—brace yourselves—I introduce a plot point, and in chapter 7, Henry finally talks to his mom.**

**I hope you enjoy this. Reviews are always appreciated and help me write.**

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The week passed in a blur for Regina. Since declaring her intent to help David and Henry get Emma and Snow back from The Enchanted Forest, she had spent every waking hour (many of which were hours that sane people spent asleep) investigating methods for restoring the hat's dimensional travel capabilities.

Not that she had anything to show for it.

She ran her hands through her hair and began tying her tennis shoes. A good run always cleared her head, and, given that she was completely stuck, she thought she might as well burn off some of the restless energy bottled up from days of rummaging round her house.

She grabbed her cell phone—_in case Henry finally calls_—and headed out the door, nearly smacking into David.

"David!" she exclaimed, putting a hand over her heart. "You startled me. What are you doing here?"

David was slow to respond, taking in the unusual appearance of the former mayor. The sporty look definitely worked for her. The high-cut jogging shorts accentuated her toned legs, and having her hair pulled back from her face made her look more youthful and—dare he say—cute. He shook his head to dispel these thoughts—this was the Evil Queen he was thinking about. She was evil. Not cute. _But maybe she could be both . . . _

"Oh, um, I just dropped by to check in and see how you were doing," he said.

She quirked a quizzical eyebrow, clearly skeptical that he cared about her.

"I was hoping that maybe you found something we could use to fix the hat," he confessed.

_That was more like it_, Regina thought. He only sees her as a means to an end. Like everyone else, if he isn't afraid of her, he just sees her as a tool to be used. Irritated, she snapped, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you're just going to have to go without your precious Snow a bit longer."

He flinched, nodded his head once and turned and began to walk away.

_Damn it._ Why did he have to look like she had just killed his puppy? _And why did she care that she hurt him? Wasn't that what she had intended?_

"David, wait," she said. "I'm just frustrated. This kind of magic is tricky. Even if I had all the resources available to me that I had in our land, this would be a daunting proposition. It's going to take time." _Why was she comforting him? What was wrong with her? _She just wanted her son back. Making some Charming Prince feel better had never been part of the plan. "Would you like to come in?" _Where the hell did that come from?_

Somewhat wary of her sudden mood swing, but eager to get more details on the magical end of their plan to retrieve his family, he said, "Sure."

She gave him a smile intended to reassure him, but it came out more like a grimace. She was out of practice playing nice with others. Out of practice—ha—who was she kidding? It had been nearly half a century since she had been nice to someone besides Henry and meant it.

She held the door open for him and invited him in with a nod. As he passed through the threshold, he was stunned for the second time since arriving on the former mayor's doorstep.

"Nice redecorating," he commented mildly. Her immaculate house was in a state of complete disarray. Books, charts, sketchpads, and odd objects littered every available surface.

"Ha ha," Regina deadpanned, walking past him to the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"

"I'll have what you're having," he replied, still taking in the mess.

"Worried I'm going to poison you?" she quipped, referencing the axiom known by assassins' targets everywhere: don't drink something that your enemy hasn't consumed first.

He looked at her. "I didn't mean it that way. I trust you." Huh, he thought. He did trust her. How odd.

Maybe it was seeing firsthand the evidence that she was working hard to find a solution to Snow and Emma's disappearance through the hat. Or maybe it was an accumulation of everything she'd done—and not done—since the curse had broken. Like letting Henry live with him, relinquishing her authority as mayor without a fight, and—most interestingly—refraining from using her magic.

Surprised at his declaration, Regina did not have a reply and settled for bringing him a glass of water.

"How's Henry?" Regina asked.

"He's good," David assured her. "He's really enjoying his tracking lessons with Ruby. And I think she's having more fun with it than she would like to admit. The two of them seem to follow a lot of wolf tracks," he grinned at her. "He's not bad with a foil either. Obviously, his height puts him at a serious disadvantage in a swordfight, but he's pretty quick and nimble. He should be able to hold his own after his growth spurt."

Regina smiled, imagining her son's enthusiasm for these 'knight lessons', but her smile didn't reach her eyes. She wanted to be the one driving Henry to fencing and tracking lessons and hearing him describe everything he was learning in excruciating detail.

She wanted to be the one giving him the lessons.

He hadn't asked to go riding with her yet.

David noticed her melancholy and gallantly changed the subject. "I don't know how you did it," he said.

"Did what?"

"I mean, I know you had the whole town under a curse, but I still don't know how you stood being mayor of all of these crazy people. If I have one more person insist that I arbitrate some petty dispute, I am going to cross the border just to wipe my mind of all of their nonsense," David ranted good-humoredly.

Regina chuckled at the all too familiar frustration he was expressing. "Easy," she replied casually. "I made everyone afraid of me. They were all too scared to interact with me unless it was something really important. Your problem is that you've got the whole 'Prince of the People' thing going. They _love_ you and therefore feel entitled to your time," she teased him. "Stop being so nice to them, and they'll start to leave you alone."

"I don't think I can do that," David shuffled uncomfortably.

The situation clicked for Regina and she started to laugh. David was startled to sense just how much he enjoyed that sound. "You didn't come here for an update," she accused him with a smile. "You could've called for that. You came here to hide out! At the Evil Queen's house!"

He had the decency to look embarrassed and slightly ashamed at being caught.

"You should just move in!" Regina continued to laugh. "Then you would be safe from the oh-so-scary, harmless townspeople that want you to solve their problems, and I would get to see Henry." As her son's name slipped out, she stopped laughing, but still smirked at the Prince. "Very brave of you," she teased.

"I know, I know," he replied to her teasing. "I'm not exactly taking the high road. I should just go out there and help them." He sighed. Why couldn't he be a better leader? Snow always made it look so easy.

Regina sensed the shift in his mood. Did this man ever stop carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders?

"No, you shouldn't," she corrected him.

"Come again?" he asked.

"It is okay to need a break," she told him. "More than okay, actually. It's necessary."

He looked skeptical. All of his training formed him to believe that a good leader—the opposite of his father, King George—put his people first, considered their welfare first.

"David," Regina said seriously. "You have to take care of yourself first." She held up a hand to stall his protest. "If you don't take care of yourself, you won't be in any shape to take care of anyone else." She let that sink in and then concluded. "So, if you need to take a break every now and then, that is okay, and you shouldn't feel badly about that. And, if you want to exploit the town's distrust/anger/fear/whatever-it-is toward me to get that break, that's fine with me."

And it was fine with her. Strange. "You're welcome here anytime." _He is? And why am I hoping he'll take me up on it? I know this house feels big and empty without Henry here, but David's presence is nothing but an imposition . . . isn't it?_

"Thank you," David said, genuinely touched by her support. "I suppose you're right."

"I am," she replied pertly.

David laughed, "I don't have to like it though."

"I'd be concerned if you did," she said.

"Well, why don't I show you some of the progress I haven't made?" Regina said wryly, gesturing toward the mess of magic-related items in the living room.

"Sounds great," David flashed a grateful smile.

xxxxx


	6. Magic-induced Migraine

**A/N: And here's the continuation. Poor David is a bit out of his depth with all this magic business.**

xxxxx

A couple hours later David's head was throbbing from Regina's descriptions of all the magical tricks and tools she had explored and then systematically eliminated as potential solutions to their hat portal problem.

In addition to his headache, something strongly resembling despair was starting to take up permanent residence in his chest. How were they ever going to get Snow and Emma back? He may not have always approved of Regina's methods, but she was a master of her craft. If she couldn't solve this puzzle, who could?

"And then all you'll have to do is say 'Bippity-boppity-boo' while hopping on one foot in the town square with nothing on but blue body paint and they will be instantly transported back to Storybrooke," Regina said at the end of her restoration spell lecture.

"Huh?" David said, confused. "I have to do what?" He looked over at Regina and saw her familiar critical gaze directed at him, but with a twinkle in her eye. "You're teasing me," he said.

"Just a little," she admitted with a small smile. "It seems that this has been enough for today."

"Yes," David said, resigned. He wished he had more stamina for this information. He wished he could help on this side of the problem. He felt so useless, so inadequate. What good was his sword in this situation?

"Hey," Regina's voice was soft and suddenly much closer than he realized. Sometime during his musings, she had stopped pacing—she paced as she explained complex issues; the woman was a force of nature, even when discussing the geometry of magic—and had sat next to him on the couch.

"We are going to get them back," she assured him. Her tone was not pitying or placating; it was calm and certain.

She tentatively reached out and grasped his hand. "I know this is discouraging, and, believe it or not, I can imagine what you are feeling right now." Something about her tone made David carefully observe the expression on her face. It was . . . _wistful?_

"But, David," Regina continued softly. "Don't give up. You can't give up. Henry insists that true love is the strongest magic there is, and he may be right about that. But, there is another fundamental force upon which successful magic relies."

She waited until she was sure that she had his attention—that he hadn't retreated into his own mind again.

"Hope, David," Regina said simply. "You must _believe_ that you can achieve the outcome you want. You have to believe it with everything in you. To the point where that belief transcends into certainty and feels like knowledge. You have to have faith. You have to _know_ that the enchantment or spell or whatever it is we wind up doing to get your family back is going to work and is going to put them both back in your arms."

Her quiet conviction startled him. "Why do I have to believe? You'll be the one doing the magic."

"Actually, David, I'm pretty sure that, when the time comes, whatever magic we do will have to be performed by you," she said.

David's despair was instantly transformed into apprehension. "But I don't know anything about magic," he protested. "I couldn't even listen to you talk about it without feeling like a cleaver had been taken to my skull!"

"Thanks," Regina deadpanned.

"You know I didn't mean to insult your explanatory ability," he chided her without missing a beat. "There is no way I would ever be as powerful as you—wouldn't it make more sense for you to do whatever magic needs to be done? You said yourself that dimensional travel requires a lot of power. What if—"

"David," Regina said firmly, cutting him off. The prince was working himself into a frenzy, and she didn't want him to hyperventilate. She wasn't sure she had any paper bags in the house.

"What?" His eyes had taken on a glazed appearance.

"Please stay calm. I know that this is scary, and this is outside the scope of anything we've previously discussed as far as magical options for retrieving your family, but you need to trust me. If you need to do magic, I will teach you what you need to know to do it properly and safely. And you will fully understand the risks associated with whatever it is we decide to do."

He nodded in comprehension, if not necessarily acceptance.

"And," she elaborated. "Power was always going to be a problem. But, Grumpy, Snuffy, Sleazy, and Hairy—oh, whoever they are!" She mentally congratulated herself when she got the desired smile from David at her mangling of the dwarves' names. "—will find the diamonds, and we will use them to amplify our spell. I'm sure I'll even be able to give you my power directly." His eyebrow went up at that. _She would do that? She would trust me with her power? For Snow and Emma?_

"Magically speaking," she continued. "Power is an easy problem to solve."

"The tricky part of our problem," she explained, "is that, once we fix the hat, it will be difficult to know how 'fixed' it is."

"You see, the rule of traveling through that hat is simple, but deceptively constraining." David did not like the sound of this. "The same number of people that go through the hat have to come back."

"That doesn't sound like a problem," David responded. "Snow and Emma went through, so Snow and Emma come back. Simple."

"Yes," Regina said. "Simple. But not easy. How will they know where to come back to? If the hat hadn't been damaged, it would have been relatively straightforward for Snow and Emma to effectively tell the hat to retrace their steps and drop them back in Storybrooke. But, even if we fix the hat, we can't be sure this retrace will work. And, neither Snow nor Emma has experience with that kind of dimensional travel and navigation, so we are going to need something, or in this case_ someone_, to help them find their way back."

"You mean me?" David double-checked.

"You seem like the best choice," Regina confirmed. "As Snow's true love and Emma's father, we should be able to, to 'broadcast', for lack of a better term, your relationship with them across the dimensions and essentially pull them back to you."

"Wow," David said.

"Indeed," she nodded.

"That sounds like really serious magic." He was intimidated, and, in this instance, he preferred for Regina to know it. She needed to know that coaching him to perform any magic, let alone magic of that magnitude, was going to be an undertaking.

"It is," she told him. "But you'll be able to handle it." Her calm confidence was back, and it reassured him.

"Okay then," he said. The whole idea of doing magic still made him nervous—his encounters with magic had never been good—but if Regina said he could do it, he had to believe her.

"Besides, do you think I'd let a student of mine fail?" she quirked an eyebrow at him. "That would be embarrassing. I have a reputation to uphold, you know," she told him with an exaggeration of her proud queen expression.

He chuckled, appreciating her attempt to lighten his mood. "Of course, Your Majesty. I would hate to be a disappointment."

She smirked at him and stood. "It's getting late," she observed. "I guess it's probably time to think about dinner."

He nodded, but otherwise remained motionless, looking at his hands.

"David," she said. "We will get them back. We will."

He stood up and met her gaze. "Okay," and this time his resolve was back in place. It was almost as if he felt Regina's natural authority could extend across dimensions. If she said they could get his family back, he believed her.

David had the sudden urge to do something for her. She had torn apart her house researching their magical dilemma —it had been his alone, but somehow it had become theirs—and now she had spent the better part of an afternoon patiently explaining properties of various magical enchantments to help him feel involved as well as restoring his faith in their 'quest,' as she had so aptly described it not too long ago.

"Why don't I have Ruby drop Henry off here? The three of us could have dinner together," David blurted out suddenly. His spontaneity was rewarded by the hope that leapt into Regina's eyes. "That is, if it isn't too much of an imposition."

Regina shook her head as she scrambled to find her voice, surprisingly affected by his offer. "No, it's no trouble."

The she looked around her living room and back at David. "But maybe you could help me clean this place up a bit?" She shot him a wry smile. It was quite a mess. "At least put all of the dangerous objects out of Henry's reach?"

His gaze swept over the room as well before meeting her eyes. "We better get started."

xxxxx

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has made it this far with me. I hope you're enjoying the story. **

**Chapter 7: Henry's coming over! I'm excited; I hope you are too. **

**Reviews are appreciated (a lot).**


	7. Don't touch that

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting folks—I was away from my hard-drive longer than expected. Without further ado, here is some Evil Charming and mother-son bonding to celebrate the imminent apocalypse.**

xxxxx

"Regina?" David called from behind the couch.

"Yes?" she pulled her attention from the stack of maps she was attempting to organize in some sensible manner. She could never decide whether to alphabetize them by realm and then sort by time period or vice versa.

"This looks like one of those things you told me not to touch without talking to you."

"Ah," she came around to inspect the object. "Oh yes. Quite right. Wouldn't want Henry to arrive to find I've accidentally transformed you into a toad." She pulled gloves onto her hand and picked up the bright green gem.

"That's a real story?" David asked. "I always thought the 'I'll turn you into a toad' threat was just to scare children into doing their chores." As he spoke, his head moved closer to the sparkling jewel. It fascinated him.

"Nuh, uh," Regina chided, pushing him away with a hand on his chest. "That's how it works. It entrances people."

"Uh huh," David replied absently, still focused on the jewel.

"David!" she snapped at him, trying to break the enchantment's thrall. Maybe she should use magic to bind him while she put the jewel away. Surely Henry would understand . . . .

But, before Regina could finish the thought, David had pushed past her arm and grabbed the gem, immediately transforming into a toad and dropping to the floor.

"Damn it, David!" Regina said, instantly feeling absurd for scolding a toad. "Don't go anywhere," she instructed as she once again picked up the green jewel, this time promptly locking it a chest with several of her other dangerous magical items.

When she turned around, David the toad was nowhere to be found. "You have _got_ to be kidding me," she muttered to herself.

Just as she bent to look under the couch, she heard a knock at the door.

"Of course," she said, frustrated. "When else would Henry show up?"

She walked to the door, opened it, waved to Ruby on the sidewalk and pulled Henry inside, shutting the door again in a matter of a couple seconds.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Henry," Regina said genuinely. "But we have a bit of a predicament right now, and I didn't want the door to be open any longer than necessary."

It was at this point that Henry noticed the mess that his mother and David hadn't finished cleaning up. "Cool!" he said as he started to the nearest odd-shaped statue.

"No," Regina instructed forcefully, as she held him in place.

"Henry," she bent down to meet his eye level. "Please listen to me. You know how I've been helping David try to get Snow and Emma back?"

"Yeah," he said. "Only I wasn't really sure you were actually going to help." Hurt flashed across her face, and he felt badly. His mother was the Evil Queen, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Especially if she was doing the right thing. "But it looks like you meant it. You really are trying to get them back," he said in wonderment.

"Yes, yes I am," she confirmed. "But, Henry, I need you to pay attention. Several items in this room are really, really dangerous." At his look of excitement rather than fear, she iterated, "Nasty, dangerous Henry. Not motorcycle-cool dangerous. So—Do. Not. Touch. Anything. Not without asking me first. Understand?"

At his nod, she straightened her posture. "Okay, good. Now—this is awkward—I need your help finding David."

"Huh?" Henry asked.

"He grabbed something he shouldn't have and now he's a toad, and I don't know where he is," Regina explained absently as she began searching the room.

Henry was completely confused. He had just begun to believe that his mom was helping, but now it turns out that she turned David into a toad!

"You used magic!" he accused.

"No, actually, I didn't," she responded, crawling behind the couch. Didn't toads like dark places? She should have learned more about them. Oh well, too late now. "He touched a magical object that I told him not to touch and got himself transformed into an amphibian. I tried to stop him—I probably should have used magic to stop him—but I didn't want to disappoint you."

Henry was considering her statement, but, before he could organize his thoughts, he heard his mother's voice again.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I found him!" Toad David was hiding out underneath the coffee table.

"May I catch him?" Henry's concern over his mother's potential magic use evaporated in place of a ten-year old boy's enthusiasm for a toad.

Regina couldn't help but smile at her son's excitement. "Sure," she said. "But, be careful. You need to grasp him firmly but gently. You don't want to squish him." She had a sudden sick feeling at how eerily similar her instructions were to the ones Rumpelstiltskin had given her when teaching her to take a heart.

She shook the feeling off. She was not turning Henry into a monster. Toads, not hearts, were the order of the day.

Henry's face was screwed up in concentration as he reached for Toad David. The Prince's instincts to avoid capture were sharp, however—even as a toad—and he hopped away with surprising speed.

Regina let out a cross between a groan of frustration and a laugh at the absurdity of the situation as she and Henry began to chase Toad David around the stacks of books and into the kitchen.

"Henry!" Regina called. "Go around the other way. We need to corner him."

Henry nodded and followed his mother's instructions. Within a minute, they had David cornered between the wall and the cabinets.

Henry reached out to capture Toad David but then hesitated. "You can do it, Mom. I don't want to hurt him."

Regina eyed her son skeptically. "You're not grossed out by a toad, are you?" she teased him lightly.

"Of course not!" Henry protested. "It's like I said, I just don't want to hurt him."

Regina hummed skeptically. "You won't hurt him. Just pick him up like we talked about—firmly and gently." At Henry's continued hesitance, she continued, "You don't want David thinking you were grossed out by him, do you?"

She smiled as she saw Henry's face take on a determined expression. Resolved, he stretched out his hand and picked up Toad David.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, proudly showing his mom how he held David without squishing him.

"Great job, Henry!" she beamed at him.

Henry's eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "Now what? How do we change him back?"

"You have to kiss him, of course," Regina said.

At her son's flabbergasted expression, she couldn't help laughing.

He scowled, "You're making fun of me."

Regina smiled. "Maybe a little," she confessed. "But I'm still telling the truth. You know how these things work. A kiss breaks a curse," she said lightly. "That's not true all the time, of course, but it actually is in this case." She wiped at her eyes. She didn't even know that she could still laugh that hard, but spending time with Henry was causing joy to bubble up within her.

"But Snow isn't here," Henry said worriedly. "So we can't break this curse."

"We don't need Snow," Regina said.

"But she's his true love. And we need true love's kiss . . . " Henry trailed off, confused.

"I said a kiss. Not true love's kiss. This particular enchantment is broken when the transformed person receives a kiss from a royal. So we can change him back."

"Oh," Henry said. "Good."

"Go ahead then," Regina told her son.

"What?" Henry asked. "Me? But you said the kiss had to come from a royal. Shouldn't you do it? You're the Ev—I mean, you're a queen. Your kiss should work."

"You're right. It should. But you are the grandson of King James and Queen Snow, which should make you a prince, despite the fact that you've never been to the Enchanted Forest," Regina explained. "And, I'm curious as to whether this enchantment will recognize your lineage."

Regina loved experimenting with magic—it was one of her hobbies that she missed most from her old life—and she didn't want to let this opportunity pass. She continued, "I'm still trying to learn as much as I can about magic in this land so I can help you and David get Snow and Emma back." She hated saying their names, but was rewarded with a smile from Henry.

She continued. "This seems like a good opportunity for a little magic experiment. That is, unless you're scared to kiss a toad," she teased. "Because, if you're scared, I can do it."

Not to be outdone by a girl—especially a girl that was his mother—Henry took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and kissed the toad.

Suddenly, David was standing in front of them and Henry's hand was filled with nothing but air.

"Well done, Henry!" Regina clapped her hands in approval, smiling widely. "You kissed a toad and turned him into a handsome prince!"

David, a bit off balance from his speedy transformation, recovered quickly and smiled. "Way to go, Henry!" he said, giving him a high five.

"Thanks!" Henry said proudly. Then he realized that he had just kissed a toad. Disgusting! "I have to go wash my mouth!" He declared as he bolted for the bathroom.

"So you were aware of everything?" Regina asked David, curious to learn more about the effects of the spell and surprised that he knew Henry was the one who kissed him.

"Yes," David said. "But I couldn't control my decisions in the same way, which is why I hopped away from you, even though I knew you were trying to help. My toad instincts overrode my brain and started hopping." He chuckled.

"You just wanted to make us run around foolishly," Regina teased.

"You caught me," David replied with a twinkle in his eye.

"And maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you not to touch something," she scolded him with an answering glint in her eye.

Abruptly, he stepped into Regina's personal space, his body mere millimeters from hers. His lips hovered above hers briefly before turning to whisper in her ear, "And maybe next time you'll take the opportunity to kiss me."

Regina was stunned. She and David had developed a teasing rapport since agreeing to work together, but their teasing could hardly have been considered flirting and was certainly never this overt. _Flirting._ Is that what she thought he was doing?

_Oh my god, he IS flirting with me. Is he flirting with me? He's so close. I could lean slightly forward and we'd be touching, or kissing, or both. Just a slight movement is all it would take . . ._ Have I lost my mind? Regina snapped out of her reverie. This is insane. This is Prince Charming, champion of all that is good and noble. Husband of Snow White. Unless he's merely indulging his hero complex, he couldn't have any interest in someone as damaged and dark as her. But the way he was looking at her . . . _no, it couldn't be. It's just some kind of stress response. Some kind of Toad Transformation Stress Response. Like Post-Toad Stress Disorder or something._

David could not believe the words that left his mouth. _Oh my goodness, I'm flirting with her. Am I flirting with her? I've lost my mind. She's so close . . . it would be the work of a second, and she would be in my arms ,and I could hold her close and kiss her and touch her and . . . he had. He had lost him mind._

This was The Evil Queen he was lusting after. The woman who had hunted him and his family for years.

Only . . . she didn't really seem like The Evil Queen anymore.

The way she tried to prevent him from transforming into a toad—he could still feel the memory of her hand on his chest—and the way she made sure he was safely changed back; the way she had ripped apart her entire home looking for a way to bring back two people that she didn't miss. She had shown him that she is much more than an arch-villain. He wasn't sure how it had happened, but he no longer saw the Evil Queen.

He saw Regina.

And he wanted to see more of her.

_What was wrong with him?_

xxxxx

**A/N: Hopefully that made y'all feel a bit better in regards to Henry and Regina, and hopefully the Evil Charming worked all right (it is AU, after all!). Reviews are always appreciated.**


	8. Family Dinner

**A/N: This chapter is structured differently from the previous installments. I hope it works. As always, your feedback is appreciated and helpful!**

**Y'all have Sky Fenty to thank for the quick update. Thanks for keeping me honest! ;)**

xxxxx

As Regina retraced her route toward her house from the stables, she replayed last night's dinner in her head for the twentieth time. While David's impromptu visit caused her to put off her much needed run until now, she wouldn't have traded it for the world. Without his visit, she wouldn't have gotten to spend time with her son. Not just time, either, but good time. Time when he let her teach him something—even if that something was how to pick up a toad without crushing it—and time when they got to laugh together.

She could tell that he still wasn't ready to discard his "evil queen" label for her, but at least there seemed to be moments when he forgot that she was The Villain in his storybook world of Right and Wrong. He allowed her, however briefly, to be his mom.

She missed him so much.

And he asked her to take him riding! She was going to take him on Saturday. Maybe they would ride together first, so that he could get the feel of it, or maybe she's lead his horse while he road alone, or maybe she should start by making sure he knew the proper vocabulary . . .

She had plenty of time to plan their first lesson—he had called it his first lesson—there would be more! —she just hoped that he loved riding as much as she did. Maybe if she had allowed herself that joy and shared it with Henry before now . . . well, maybe things would be different.

She shook off the impending regret and increased her running pace to a full sprint. She ran as fast as she could until she thought her lungs would burst. Then she kept going.

She found ignoring her limits comforting.

She smiled again as she remembered the look on Henry's face when he caught Toad David. He was so proud of himself—and he was excited to show _her_ what he'd accomplished. How she'd missed that!

And, maybe, just maybe, she could get him back.

She slowed her pace down as she neared her house. Unfortunately, to get her son back, she had to get Emma Swan back as well. Not to mention Snow.

Her face wrinkled into distaste. How had her life turned into this? Somehow she had become Co-Captain of the effort to bring the two people she least wanted in her life back into the middle of it. And she was working with none other than Prince Charming himself. Her life was a farce. Someone, somewhere, was having a good laugh at her expense. If she didn't know better, she would've suspected Maleficent.

She couldn't believe that she had actually told David and Henry about that. Her face flushed in embarrassment at the memory from dinner.

xxxxx

"Now Regina," David teased, "I enjoy spontaneous amphibious transformation as much as the next guy, but why do you have a jewel for that?"

Henry was giggling—it wasn't every day that your grandfather was turned into a toad!—and Regina just quirked an eyebrow at David.

"I know, I know," David said. "Evil Queen and all that. But turning someone into a toad with a rock seems relatively non-threatening, especially since the spell was so easy to break." He looked at her. He sensed a story, and he was determined not to let the subject drop until he got to the bottom of it. His flirtatious comment before dinner had her off-balance, and he wanted to press his advantage. Regina in control was stunning; Regina with her guard down was luminous.

Regina suppressed a smile; the Prince's deductive skills were sharp, and, oddly, her associations with the green gem were some of her happier memories from her time as Queen. She didn't want to set a bad example for Henry, but she supposed she couldn't set much of a worse example than cursing everyone he knew, so why not share this particular story?

"It appears," she stated dramatically, "that you have found me out."

Henry chuckled as David teasingly exclaimed, "Ah ha! I knew it!".

Regina rolled her eyes in mock-frustration. "As I was saying," she cleared her throat meaningfully in David's direction. "That gem was not intended to hurt or threaten anyone." She began to blush. Admitting to such childish behavior was not in her nature. "It was a prank," she said quickly.

David laughed, and Henry's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You played a prank on someone?" he asked his mom.

"I did," Regina confirmed. "But, only because she pranked me first!"

David couldn't stop smiling. The most feared woman of any realm he'd ever visited was invoking schoolyard logic to justify a toad-transforming gemstone.

"Well," he said, with good-natured authority. "Henry and I are going to need to hear this story from the beginning then, I think. Wouldn't you agree, sir?"

Henry nodded with dramatic-solemnity. He couldn't wait to hear this. Who knew that grown-ups—who knew that his mom—could be so fun?

"Then I guess I have no choice but to explain myself," Regina said in a tone of exaggerated suffering. This story was relatively harmless, and she enjoyed putting a smile on Henry's face.

"For the first six months after Leopold—Snow's father—and I were married, it felt like we were constantly entertaining." She smirked at David's nod of understanding, but elaborated for Henry's benefit. "The politics of royalty dictated that every neighboring royal family or person of standing had to visit us and pay their respects. Otherwise, it would have been considered rude and negatively impacted the trade between Leopold's kingdom and whatever area they were from."

"So, it was this endless drone of people and gifts, and every social engagement felt exactly like every other." Lost in her reminiscing, Regina's carefully controlled mask slipped from her face, and Henry and David could see the frustration, boredom, and irritation of the young queen clearly.

"I would smile and curtsey," a false smile graced her face, plastered there as if by muscle memory. "And tell everyone how grateful and honored I was"—she nearly spat the words out of her mouth—" To be married to such a wonderful and generous king." This many years later the thought of being grateful for the event that sentenced her to life imprisonment still felt like poison running through her veins.

"Regina . . ." David had nothing to say. He had never thought about Regina's marriage to Leopold from any perspective besides Snow's, so her manner of description was sobering.

Regardless, he thought it prudent to interrupt her. He suspected that she had completely forgotten Henry's presence, and—now that he considered her situation—he suspected that continued uncensored remembrances might be inappropriate for the boy's ears.

His interruption had the intended effect and snapped Regina back to the present. "Yes, well," she said, embracing the lighter role of external narrator rather than autobiographical commentator, "At one of those dull balls, I slipped away for a bit. One of the visitors was, well, the Duke of South Hills," she looked at David, who winced.

The Duke of South Hills was notoriously handsy, and apparently Leopold hadn't cared enough about Regina to check the man's behavior. David was disgusted. He knew Leopold had never recovered from the loss of Snow's mother, but he should never have allowed any woman, particularly his wife, to be subjected to that man's behavior.

Henry caught the look between the two adults but didn't understand it. He was beginning to think there was a lot going on that he didn't understand. He didn't like it.

"What was wrong with the Duke of South Hills?" he asked.

"He was obnoxious," Regina replied emphatically.

David snorted a laugh in impressed shock. Regina managed to tell Henry the absolute, complete truth without telling him anything at all.

"So I slipped away," Regina continued her tale. "I chose the wine cellar as my hide-out. The servants were always diligent to move the appropriate number of bottles of wine to rooms closer to the banquet hall on days Leopold entertained, so I thought I would be unnoticed." She paused, drawing out the suspense for Henry's benefit.

"Did you? Go unnoticed?" Henry asked, on the edge of his seat.

David was also on the edge of his seat. Regina must have been young and naive at the time. Sneaking away from the group had been more dangerous than staying put. He assumed nothing bad had occurred, or she wouldn't be telling this story to Henry, but, nonetheless, he was anxious for the young woman hiding in the wine cellar.

"Of course not," Regina winked at Henry. "Where's the story in that?"

"Mom!" Henry whined at her teasing.

She flashed a smile at his response. She loved having him home.

"Someone else had beaten me there!" Regina said as Henry's eyes went wide.

"This woman, wearing a dress covered in purple ruffles with blonde hair piled on top of her head and her shoes kicked off, was laughing as she juggled wine bottles in the middle of the cellar. Only she wasn't touching any of them!"

Regina smiled at the memory as David guessed, "Maleficent?"

She nodded and was about to continue her tale when Henry interrupted, "Maleficent? You mean the Evil Fairy from Sleeping Beauty?"

"Stop calling people evil, Henry" Regina snapped. "It's not very generous of you."

"It's also not very accurate," she said in a softer voice, but the mood had been broken. Henry looked like she'd slapped him, his enthusiasm for the story of the green gem's origins gone.

"I'm sorry, Henry," Regina said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. But I do wish you would stop labeling people. It's not very nice. And it is rarely just."

"It's okay," Henry said, but he wouldn't meet her eyes.

After an awkward moment, David asked, "So why did you use a toad-transforming gem to prank a wine-juggling fairy?"

Regina smiled at him, grateful for his support. "Well, to make a—very—long story short, after meeting in the wine cellar we became good friends. I wasn't allowed to see her, of course, but we found ways to keep in touch and to generally get a good laugh and a bit of excitement out of each other." Regina's eyes danced at the memories of their contrivances and tricks to see each other or pass messages without notice.

"One day, I was waiting in the tower for her crow to arrive with a letter, but, instead, she sent a legion of flying monkeys!"

At this, Henry had become re-interested despite himself. "Like the Wick—like from the Wizard of Oz?" he asked, stopping himself mid-label.

"Yes, Henry," Regina smiled approvingly at his restraint. "The very same monkeys. Someday maybe I'll tell you more about that."

"I was horrified," she continued. "I had enough trouble explaining the appearance of the occasional crow. I had no idea how I was going to justify the presence of all of these flying monkeys, especially since they wouldn't leave before eating us completely out of bananas."

Despite the humor she used to describe the scene, David could tell there was a darker side of this story. It sounded like the young queen was strictly controlled. He had the sudden impulse to take Regina into his arms and tell her that it would be all right.

Which, of course, it wasn't.

And he didn't.

"I obviously had to retaliate," she continued. "I could not allow a horde of flight-enabled destructive foragers to go unanswered. I don't care how funny Maleficent thought it was."

"I knew that she was expecting a visitor that she was very much looking forward to seeing," Regina said simply. Henry didn't need to know the details of her former friend's dating life. "So I arranged for her to purchase this gem at an auction, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist displaying it and that it would turn her visitor into a toad. Then, when she figured out the nature of the spell, she would either have to ask for my help or help from Aurora's family."

Regina smirked. "It was gratifying."

"So you had to kiss a toad?" Henry asked.

The smirk was back. "Yes," she said. Hardly the worst thing she'd ever had to kiss. And Maleficent still had not appreciated her kissing her male friend in whatever animal shape he happened to take.

"Why didn't it turn Maleficent into a toad?" David asked. Regina had developed his sense of magical curiosity.

"The gem only transforms men," Regina replied.

"Ahh," David said. "So you made a sexist stone?"

"Yes," she smirked. Any further retort was not for Henry's ears, and she and David both knew it.

xxxxx

Regina stretched after her run. Her left hamstring had been really tight lately.

Yes, she thought. Her life was most definitely a farce. While she regained some ground with her son, it was her consequential relationship with the prince that was improving significantly.

Improving too significantly.

She had to focus on Henry. Henry was the goal. And Henry would not forgive her if she homewrecked Snow White's life.

So it didn't matter that David was thoughtful and kind. Or surprisingly intelligent. Or that he treated her like a person and not like some kind of ticking time bomb.

And it definitely didn't matter that his eyes were the clearest blue she'd ever seen. Or that his calloused hands conveyed the most genuine reassurance she'd felt since . . . well, since lifetimes ago.

No, it didn't matter that the Prince was gorgeous and made her feel more . . . connected.

It mattered that he was Snow White's husband.

And that mattered to Henry.

_One more thing Snow stole from her._

No. She would not go down that road again.

At least, not today.

She had to complete her plan to get Snow and Emma back so that she could continue her mission to regain Henry's affections.

As much as she wished Ms. Swan wasn't the linchpin to her mission, exploiting Henry's desire to get her back did seem to be slowly helping their relationship.

xxxxx

"So, Henry," David said. "Aren't you glad your mother is helping us? With her help, once the dwarves find diamonds, we'll be able to fix the hat in no time." He knew it wasn't that simple, but he had noticed how Regina cherished any hint of kindness from her son. She had been working so hard to help them; it was only fair that Henry recognize her contribution.

If he had another motivation besides fairness, like just wanting to see her smile, he refused to acknowledge it.

Henry gave his mother a small smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, Henry," she replied. Even though it offended her pride, she appreciated David's interference on her behalf.

"Henry," Regina said after a brief silence. "Bringing back Emma and Snow is going to require magic . . ."

"I know, Mom," he said. "It's okay. David explained it to me. You can use magic for this. Since you're helping people."

"Thank you, Henry." She felt as though a weight had been lifted off her chest. She had assumed that David had convinced Henry that involving her—and her magic—was the right decision, but she felt better receiving Henry's blessing directly.

"Maybe you could also hide the apartment from the rest of the town," Henry suggested.

"What do you mean?" she looked at him in confusion, before becoming instantly worried. "Has someone threatened you? Are you all right?"

"Calm down, Mama Bear," David told her as Regina leveled a glare in his direction. "Henry's fine. He's just been frustrated by the number of visitors we've had lately."

"They never go away," Henry grumbled.

Regina quirked an eyebrow at David. "You really did need a place to hide out."

David shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to complain or say anything ungenerous about his fellow townspeople. "They are . . . persistent."

"Mrs. Appleseed has basically moved in," Henry told his mother. "If you weren't Snow White's true love, I would think she was trying to date you," he finished.

Regina and David shared a fleeting, awkward glance, before Regina said, "I could, you know. Put up some kind of enchantment to discourage visitors."

David shook his head. "No. Thank you for the offer," he said sincerely, "But I will figure this out."

"And," he turned to Henry, "Mrs. Appleseed is not trying to date me. She just has an agricultural dispute—"

"Sure," Henry said, rolling his eyes.

Regina smiled at her son's antics but made a mental note to speak with David about the town's harassment of him. It sounded more serious than he was letting on, and, while it wasn't her place to interfere with his affairs, she was concerned that it was affecting Henry. And just who was this Mrs. Appleseed woman anyway? And where was Mr. Appleseed?

She shook off those irrelevant thoughts—why should she care if someone wanted to date David?—and focused on the teasing that had continued between the two boys at her dinner table.

xxxxx

Regina couldn't help smiling at the memory. Having Henry home was wonderful, and David's presence was not unwelcome as she had previously assumed. Maybe with his help she could get her son back sooner rather than later. Hope sprang in her chest.

And for Regina, hope was always quickly followed by determination.

Yes, she would win her son back. After all, he had finally included her in one of his "operations"—and not as a target.

xxxxx

Henry swallowed his bite of spaghetti. "What are we calling it?"

"Calling what, dear?" Regina asked.

"The mission to get back Mom and Snow," he replied.

'_Mom'_. Regina felt like she'd been stabbed with her serving tongs. She shot David a grateful look when he spoke, "We were hoping you could help us with that."

"Yes, Henry," Regina rejoined the conversation. "We couldn't name it without you."

"Operation Scorpion," he suggested immediately.

"Do you think we're going to have to poison someone?" Regina teased him.

"Hmm, good point," Henry carefully considered alternative names while the adults watched his intense pondering in silent amusement.

"How about Operation Boomerang?" he asked excitedly. "You know, because we want Emma and Snow to boomerang back to us!"

David let out a laugh at Henry's imagery.

"Very clever, dear." Regina nodded in approval. "Operation Boomerang it is."

xxxxx

**A/N: Coming attractions: a little more Regina and David, but with a set change! Then, we should be ready for some more plot in Chapter 10. ;)**


	9. A Litter of Helpfulness

**A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed! This chapter took on a life of its own, so it's been split into two parts. The second piece is coming soon. Happy Festivus!**

xxxxx

After cleaning up from her run, Regina headed down to the Sheriff's office. She ignored the nervous scattering of the townspeople or the seething glares from a brave few as she walked down the sidewalk, her mask of indifference firmly in place. These people would never see her as anything besides The Evil Queen, and far be it from her to disappoint her subjects.

She nodded brusquely to Elinor in the reception area as she continued to David's office. She was certain that Elinor—and everyone else—would assume she had shown up to take the mayor's office back, but she would just have to demonstrate that her presence in the building was non-confrontational.

Regina knocked on David's open door and was horrified to see him appear to rise out of a fortress of paper stacked on his desk.

"My goodness, David," she said in a shocked, yet compassionate tone. "This is worse than I imagined—even after Henry's comments last night about all the visitors to your apartment."

David looked around the office, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "I just can't seem to make any headway."

"Well," she said. "I stopped by to see if you had a moment or two for some magical diagnostics, I guess you could call them, but this is clearly a bad time."

"Seems like a great time to me," David replied, only half kidding. "I would love to get out from behind all of this paper."

She smiled in understanding, but not in concession. "Magic is always dangerous. But with a novice who is stressed out and tired," she paused for emphasis, "it could be downright suicidal."

"Hmm," David hummed in mock-contemplation. "So you're saying that now isn't a good time?"

"Yes," she hissed in teasing exasperation. "That is what I'm saying."

"Fine," he sat down, suddenly defeated.

Unfortunately, he had forgotten that Regina couldn't see him behind the paper when we was seated, so he stood back up.

Despite how amusing she found the Prince's frazzled state, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the overwhelmed man.

"How can I help?" she asked him.

Surprise registered on David's face. She was the first person who had offered to help him since the curse broke. Every other person had demanded or expected something from him. Who would have thought The Evil Queen would turn out to be the person he could count on?

"As much as I would love to pawn this fire hazard off on you, I don't think the town would react very well to their legal disputes and enforcement matters being handled by you," he looked at her apologetically.

"Of course," she replied dismissively. It wasn't his fault the entire town hated her.

"But," David continued, "If you could check on the animals, that would be great."

Regina's face lit up with excitement, "Work at the animal shelter?" Kicking herself for her childish display, she immediately schooled her features back into an expression of mild interest.

David grinned at her unintended display of excitement. She may have recovered, but he was not going to let her off the hook that easily.

"You, the woman who cursed us all, like animals?" he said. Then he started laughing. "Well, why not? It's been a completely bizarre week. Why shouldn't the Evil Queen love kittens and rabbits?"

"I actually prefer horses and dogs, thank you very much," Regina deadpanned with an eyebrow arched in challenge.

"Of course," David replied with another smile. "My mistake."

She couldn't help but return his smile. What was it about this man that disarmed her defenses?

"I could pick up Henry after school and take him with me," Regina offered. "That would give you more time to catch up on your backlog."

His surprise at her offer was clearly displayed on her face. Picking up Henry would benefit her as well, but it didn't change the fact that this was only the second offer of help he'd received since his life was turned upside down.

"I know I'm 'evil,' and you aren't supposed to leave him alone with me—" Regina had continued during David's brief reverie.

Before she could finish her deflection, his hand reached out and turned her face toward his. "Don't even joke about that, Regina. Let the rest of the town think what they will, but we both know that things are never as simple as they appear. You are so much more than 'evil,' and I am so much more—or less—than 'charming'."

"More," she breathed, her voice acting without her brain's permission. What was it about this man that caused words to just spill out of her mouth? She cleared her throat, attempting to regain some composure after the unexpected declaration of –whatever it was—from the Prince. "You are most certainly more than a trite hero from a storybook," she stated with more confidence. "I think the stack of paperwork proves it," she teased to diffuse the tension.

"Ha! Yes, I believe you're right." He allowed himself a smile, before it fell off his face as the magnitude of the neglected sheriff's duties sank in again. Did Emma ever file anything? He had half a mind to jump through a dimensional portal and drag her butt back to Storybrooke just so he didn't have to clean up this mess alone. He couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"If you're beginning to find the paperwork funny, then the stress is getting to you more than I realized, David," Regina said.

He shook his head. "No, I was just having the oddest parental urge to tan Emma's hide for the state of this office." He looked at her in amusement.

Regina surveyed the mess critically, but the mirth in her eyes gave her away. "I can't say that I blame you. It's a shame that I shouldn't help you, what with the townspeople preferring that the deposed mayor not rummage through city documents." She raised an eyebrow. "They, no doubt, would assume that I was up to something nefarious, and would either blame you or assume I had brainwashed you in some way."

David sighed. Somehow it seemed that their laughter could never last long. Reality had a cruel way of intruding. "Well," he responded. "I appreciate the offer. And if you could check in at the shelter, I would really appreciate it. Since the curse broke, Mowgli has been less reliable. He's been spending more time with Ruby. I think he's trying to find his friends from the jungle, which is made unusually tricky given that the curse performed some animal transformations, what with Archie no longer being a cricket and all."

Regina looked down in shame. How had she been so enraged that she punished people and animals that she didn't even know? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now was not the time for self-flagellation (the time for that was between eleven at night and two in the morning); now was the time for action, for showing her son that she could do something right—something good.

David was still rambling about the probable species of former jaguars and bears when he finally snapped back to the task at hand. "What were we talking about? Oh, right. How I'm going to get out from this mountain of paperwork and how you can help with that."

He must be exhausted to be rambling like that, she thought. She was going to have to help him learn to triage all of his political and enforcement duties if he was going to get through this without collapsing from exhaustion. He was kind of cute, though, all flustered and discombobulated. Cute? Where had that thought come from? She would also push that out of her mind to deal with later. Not now, while he was still being cute. Shoot! I mean, still talking, she mentally corrected herself.

"You're probably right about the town having a field day if I give you unsupervised time with Henry, but if I don't sort out some of these more pressing legal claims and custody issues, we're going to have even bigger problems on our hands. You're his mother. You aren't going to hurt him. Anyone who disagrees with that can deal with me," he stated firmly.

The Prince had backbone. That was hot. Hot? Damnit! Must stop noticing the Prince's good traits. Focus.

"Not that I don't know you can handle any challengers," he addressed her. "But you and I both know it's best if you keep a low profile and not defend yourself unless it's absolutely necessary." At her nod of agreement, he continued, "I'll call the school and let them know you're picking him up. Hopefully that will smooth some things over for you. Oh, and my code word with Henry is 'Excalibur,'." At her raised eyebrow, he said, "I know, I know. I told him that The Round Table was not nearly as noble and glamorous as his stories made it out to be, but he still wanted to use that as our code word."

She smiled to herself at this evidence of Henry's trademark stubbornness. It was nice to hear it directed toward someone else for a change.

"I keep a checklist in the office at the shelter of the chores that need to be done each day," he briefed her. "Here's the key. I'm afraid a lot of the items on the list aren't terribly glamorous . . ." His voice trailed off as he looked over Regina's tailored pantsuit.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Think I can't handle a little muck because I don't wear flannel? I'm insulted, Charming."

He was relieved by her teasing. Maybe she could help take care of the animals after all.

"I'll go home, _change_," the eyebrow quirk was back, "and head to the shelter to get a head start before picking up Henry. I'll call if I have any questions."

He nodded as she turned to leave. He was amazed at her ability to be in charge even when following orders. The woman was a born leader.

When she reached the door, however, she turned back. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job, but I've spent most of my life settling disputes. I recommend three piles. Pile One is for urgent and important disputes, and disputes involving vocal or obnoxious community members. Pile Two is for important, but not time-sensitive disputes, and Pile Three is for everything else. Then, start with Piles Two and Three and tell everyone in that pile that you've received their requests, and that they are important to you. Let them know that you will give them an update on the status of their requests no earlier than next week. Giving them a timeframe and confirming receipt of their communication will buy you some time while most of them leave you alone. That will give you a chance to start going through Pile One uninterrupted."

She was surprised to notice the look of complete absorption on his face. It had been a long time since anyone had listened to her that carefully.

"Oh, and you might want to see if Archie can recommend someone to help you. I'd suggest asking him to help, but I'm guessing he has more counseling business than he knows what to do with these days," she said. "Because of that, though, he may be able to suggest someone trustworthy that isn't associated with me," she paused as David jotted some notes onto a post-it. "That's just my two cents," she disclaimed as she headed out the door.

"Regina," he called after her.

She turned, "Yes?".

"Thank you," he said with a grateful smile.

"You're welcome," her smile answered his.

xxxxx

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed, running up to her after school.

Regina smiled at his excitement.

Henry stopped just short of her. "Is David okay? Is something happening with Operation Boomerang?"

"David's fine, Henry," she assured him. "And there is nothing new with Operation Boomerang. David just needed a chance to catch up on some sheriff work, so he let me pick you up."

"Oh," Henry's shoulders slumped in disappointment. He had hoped that the break from routine meant that they were closer to getting Emma and Snow back.

Regina sensed her son's disappointment and hated that she couldn't instantly fix it for him. She squatted to his eye level, "I volunteered to do David another favor, though, Henry. To help him out while he acts as Sheriff. Do you want to help too?"

True knight-in-training that he was, Henry instantly straightened his posture, "Yes! Are we going to arrest someone?"

Regina laughed. "No, dear. We're going to leave the law enforcement to your grandfather. We are, however, going to fill his shoes at the animal shelter this afternoon."

"Awesome!" Henry said. "Let's go!" Before bolting to her car, though, he remembered, "First, what's the code word?"

Regina smiled, proud that her son remembered this safety precaution, even if he was using it with her. "Excalibur," she said.

Henry nodded in confirmation. "Good. Just checking. Now, let's go. I want to see the puppies!"

xxxxx

An exhausted Regina collapsed into a booth at Granny's across from a bouncing Henry. She was glad she'd called David about meeting at the diner rather than volunteering to cook again.

"That was so fun!" he exclaimed. "Can we do that every day, Mom?"

If Regina's entire body hadn't been numb, she expected that she would have been ecstatic that her son wanted to spend so much time with her. As it was, her reaction was more muted. "I don't think David would appreciate us taking his favorite pastime away from him."

Henry appeared briefly disappointed, but his exuberance was not to be stifled for long. "He can help us!"

Regina smiled tiredly. It had been a great afternoon. She hadn't been this tired, sore, or filthy in a long time, not since the few times she helped Daniel in the stables. _Daniel_. Her heart twisted briefly. But she loved the smile on her son's face. And spending time with animals was always fun.

"You can ask him when he gets here," she said. "But try not to put the man out of his actual job while he's filling in for Emma, okay?"

"Fine, Mom," Henry groaned.

"Two?" Ruby asked as she handed them each a menu.

"Actually, David is joining us," Regina said. "And could you please go ahead and bring three waters while we wait?"

"Sure," Ruby said. This was strange. Regina was unsupervised with Henry, and the typically immaculate queen was covered in grime with splotches on clothes and odd bits of unidentifiable material in her hair. And Ruby's wolf-nose was in overdrive from all the smells coming off the mother and son. Had they spent the day working on a farm in the jungle?

"May I have a soda too, Mom?" Henry asked.

"No, dear," Regina replied.

"But, Mom," Henry whined.

Regina was spared her usual explanation for denying him sugar this late in the day, when the bells above the diner's door jangled and David entered. She was ashamed of the sudden feeling of relief that bloomed in her chest. As much as she loved her son, it would be nice to have another adult to divide his attention.

Then, maybe she could take a quick nap on the table.

"Hey, Henry," David smiled and nodded to Regina as he slid into the booth next to his grandson.

"Hey, Gramps!" Henry replied cheerfully.

David started at the nickname and smiled confusedly at them. "Gramps?"

"Mom called you my grandfather, and it sounded right when she said it, so I thought I would try the whole 'Grandfather' thing again," Henry explained. "Is that okay?" he asked, suddenly concerned. The whole extended family concept was still very new—to all of them.

"Of course," David assured him. "Even though it does make me feel a hundred years old," he mock-glared at Regina.

She couldn't suppress a small laugh at that, which David quickly silenced. "Not so fast, dear mother-in-law," he smirked as he placed his hand on hers. "In a universe where I am Henry's one hundred year old grandfather, you are his—how old?—step-great-grandmother."

She glowered at him and briefly smacked the hand that had been on hers. "You may choose to be hyperbolic about your age, but I'm not participating in this hypothetical."

Ruby reappeared with their waters while David was still chuckling at Regina's expense.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked, unsure how to feel about this group. Nothing about their dynamic felt threatening or aggressive, but she'd spent all week reliving her life as Red in vivid detail. Each memory, each unintended fatality she committed, was fresh in her mind. Pain for her to process all over again.

Ruby was not about to forgive and forget. And the absence of an overt threat from Regina did not mean that Ruby did not consider her dangerous.

David turned his charming smile to Ruby. "I think so," he said as Henry and Regina nodded their agreement. "I'll have my usual."

"Burger and onion rings," Ruby confirmed and turned to Regina.

"I'll have the burger as well, please," she said. "With a side salad. Balsamic."

Ruby nodded, scribbling on the order pad. "Henry?"

"Chicken strips and curly fries please, Ruby," Henry said.

Ruby smiled. There was just something about that kid that made her feel lighter and brighter inside. He had a decent head for tracking too. How could someone so sweet have been raised by someone so evil? Nature over nurture, she supposed, as she took their menus and went to ring in the order.

David turned to Henry. "Were you able to keep your mom in line at the animal shelter today?"

Regina was too tired to glare.

Henry, unsure whether David was kidding, defended his and his mom's work, "We got through your whole list," he said proudly. "And Mom delivered kittens!"

David choked on his water at the last part, carefully looking Regina over for the first time since entering the diner. He had been trying not to pay her too much attention. And, for good reason. Now that he really looked at her, he couldn't look away. The woman was a mess. Pieces of hay were strewn through her hair, her make-up had sweated off, and he realized that she was wearing one of his flannel shirts. She had rolled the cuffs and tied it off at the waist, but it was definitely his. She was lovely.

She noticed him noticing and stated, "My shirt will have to be burnt. It is beyond salvaging."

"Yeah," Henry added enthusiastically. "Mom was awesome! But she got covered in all kinds of gunk. It went everywhere!"

"I think that's enough description for the dinner table, Henry," Regina gently interrupted. She couldn't help but feel pleased though. Her son said she was awesome.

She turned back to David, gesturing toward his shirt she was wearing, "I hope you don't mind. I saw this in your office earlier, and we didn't have time to finish the list _and_ for me to go home and change before dinner. This seemed like the best option."

David nodded, "It looks good." He cleared his throat as the corner of her mouth turned upward. "I mean, of course I don't mind," he recovered clumsily. "Was it Duchess?"

Regina nodded. "And Tom was every bit the proud papa."

"There were five kittens!" Henry added. "And I helped!"

Regina smiled broadly at her son, exhaustion temporarily forgotten.

"You and Henry did the delivery by yourselves?" David asked. At Regina's nod, he asked, "What about the vet?"

"There wasn't time," she explained. "Henry called her office when Duchess went into labor, but she was in the middle of a surgery. By the time she was out, so were the kittens." The turn of phrase was a bit crass for her taste, but it was accurate.

Amazed, David asked, "So you delivered kittens?" How did this woman know how to deliver kittens? He didn't think he'd ever even seen her near an animal, other than astride her horse as The Evil Queen.

"I did," she confirmed. "But Henry was a great help, and the credit must go to Duchess," she said sincerely. "She's a pro."

"And it was a pretty simple and quick labor," she added as Ruby delivered their food. "No breech births or complications."

"How did you know what to do?" David asked, fascinated.

"I helped in the stables as a young girl," Regina said simply, stabbing a cherry tomato with unnecessary force.

Noting her violence toward the garnish, David allowed the subject to drop.

After happily polishing off a chicken finger, Henry exploited the silence between the grown-ups and asked, "What's next for Operation Boomerang? How are we going to get Emma and Snow back?"

David was about to chide Henry for pestering for an update a mere twenty-four hours after their last mission discussion, but Regina spoke first.

"Actually, David," she said. "I've been thinking about that." They both knew she was referring to the possibility that he would have to perform magic. They had agreed to avoid direct conversation about that eventuality in public and around Henry, who they didn't expect to be able to keep a secret. Until they were certain that David would have to perform the spell, they didn't want to worry the town with concerns that their dear Prince Charming was dabbling in the dark arts as the Evil Queen's apprentice. No need to cause a panic at this juncture.

"Do you have a new idea?" David asked hopefully. He still did not like the prospect of doing magic himself. He'd much rather Regina do it. Not only did the whole idea make him queasy, he was worried he wouldn't be able to do it right, and would bring back his family without their heads or something.

"Not really," she said, sorry to disappoint him. "My thought was more along the lines of information gathering."

xxxxx

**A/N: Thank you to those who have made it this far with me, and, as always, I'd love to hear what you think!**


	10. Red Questions

_**A/N: As promised, here is the continuation of the previous chapter. Hope you enjoy!**_

xxxxx

"_My thought was more along the lines of information gathering," Regina told Henry and David._

"What information?" Henry asked impatiently.

"We need to learn more about how Rumpelstiltskin brought magic to Storybrooke," she said.

David, always eager for action, began to stand. "Let's go ask him."

"Not so fast, brave knight," Regina teased him as she placed a hand on his arm to stall his movement. "We need to tread carefully. He hates me. If you recall, we are in this predicament because of his attempt to kill me and damn my soul."

Henry's eyes were as wide as saucers. Emma had promised him that no one would kill his mother, and it hadn't occurred to him that her promise might not be enough to keep Regina safe. Before he could choose which words he wanted to say, however, Ruby walked over to bus the table.

"If Gold—Rumpelstiltskin—wants her dead," she nodded in Regina's direction as she looked directly at David, "Then why aren't you working with him?" Her words were more accusation than question.

David would have preferred to have this conversation privately, but maybe a public defense of his alliance with Regina was necessary to address the disgruntled murmurings that had been steadily increasing among the townspeople during Snow and Emma's continuing absence.

"Because we don't know what he wants," David replied. "We know that Regina's main motive is her concern for Henry. That puts her on our team." His tone indicated that he considered the matter closed.

Dropping the authoritative tone and addressing her as his friend, David continued, "And our team could really use your help, Ruby."

Remembering all the battles they fought together—and ignoring that most were against the woman in his booth—Ruby nodded slightly.

"Would you join us for a moment?" he asked.

"Okay," Ruby said uncertainly as she took David's place next to Henry. She wanted Regina where she could see her.

Regina was still stunned by David's defense of her—it had been decades since someone had stood up for her—but she managed to find the presence of mind to slide over and make room for David to sit down beside her.

"My turn for an idea," he said to Regina before re-addressing Ruby. "Did your wolf hearing miss anything?"

"No," she said shamelessly. Like a known villain could walk into her diner and expect privacy. She'd be negligent in her duty to the other patrons if she _didn't_ eavesdrop.

"Then you know we need information from Gold," David said. "How friendly are you with the woman from the other day, Belle? You two seemed to connect."

Ruby didn't like where this conversation was headed, but she answered honestly, "Yeah, we have kind of a sisterhood/bonding thing going. She seems like a cool person."

"Would you be willing to talk to her for us?" he asked earnestly.

"I don't know, David," Ruby shook her head in hesitation. "When you say we have to work with _her_," she indicated Regina, still refusing to look her in the face, "I believe you. But that is entirely different from trusting her. This is the woman that ruined all of our lives—Sorry, Henry—do you even trust her?"

"I do, Red," he said, using her name from their time as compatriots in the Enchanted Forest. "I know that she has a lot to atone for," he glanced at Regina before re-focusing on Red, "and whether you choose to forgive her is your business, but she is our best chance for getting Emma and Snow back."

"What about The Blue Fairy?" Ruby countered.

"She can't be trusted. I don't want to get into details, but she betrayed Snow and I in the worst way."

"You're not taking _her _word for it, are you?" Ruby pushed back.

Regina shifted uncomfortably. She was not accustomed to allowing anyone to treat her with such blatant disrespect. Following the wiser course of action and allowing David do the talking was trying her patience.

"I corroborated her story with August," David said.

"So," he said, "can you trust me that trusting Regina is the right choice?"

Deliberately not answering him, Ruby turned her attention to Regina. A lesser woman would have found her intensity unnerving, but Regina remained calm. She had faced worse. Much worse.

"Why did you do this to us?" Ruby demanded.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific," Regina responded dryly. She would answer Ruby's questions, but she wasn't going to make it easy for her.

"Regina," David groaned. Why did she insist on making it harder for people to like her? The woman was thoroughly aggravating.

"The curse," Ruby said shortly.

"Because I was angry," Regina stated. She refused to go into details with someone who didn't care about her at all. Who saw her as nothing more than a psychopath without feelings or motivations. And she certainly wasn't going to reveal the intricacies of the situation in front of her son. Her story was not for the ears of the innocent.

"You were angry?" Ruby spat, raising her voice. "Am I supposed to think that is a good enough reason for ripping all of us away from our lives?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina replied in a patronizing and semi-aggressive tone. "Of course you shouldn't think that is a good enough reason. It's not a good enough reason. It's not my fault you asked a lousy question."

David cradled his head in his hands. Why couldn't she just play nice? He knew she could be charming when she wanted to be. Why couldn't now be one of those times?

Ruby was flabbergasted. They were asking her for a favor, and Regina had the audacity to insult her.

"How is that a lousy question?" she snapped defensively.

Regina, in an infuriatingly calm manner, explained, "You hate me. You can't reasonably expect me to give you an answer for why I cast the curse that will make you feel better, assuming such a reason even exists. Why don't you ask me why I never killed you? Or killed Snow? Or killed him?" She indicated David. "Why not ask me why I picked this particular curse that, while potentially cruel, was not fatal or physically harming to anyone?"

She could see that Ruby was beginning to consider her words, however reluctantly, and she finished her list with one more question, "Why not ask me why I let you and your grandmother stay together here in Storybrooke rather than splitting you apart?"

Ruby's brain was still several questions behind. "You tried to kill us," she protested weakly.

Regina laughed darkly. "No dear, I never _tried_ to kill anyone," she said. "I killed them. Or I didn't. If I had wanted any of you dead, you would have been."

Ruby was shaking her head in denial, and David was looking at Regina with a curious expression.

Henry was the one who spoke first. "She's telling the truth," he said as three pairs of eyes looked at him in surprise. "She captured David, but didn't kill him. And she put Snow under a sleeping curse, but didn't kill her," he said as he thought through all the things that _didn't _happen in his book of fairy tales. He turned his gaze toward his mother, "Why? Why didn't you kill them?"

An interrogation from Ruby, Regina could handle. Heartfelt questions from her son, on the other hand, were too much. Tears sprang into her eyes, but she forced them back and shook her head. "I can't, Henry. I can't get into that. Not here," she said almost desperately. "Not yet. I'm, I'm not ready to say it out loud."

Henry nodded, his eyes showing a level of understanding that made him appear much older than his ten years.

Ruby's mind had finally caught up after the shock of realizing that Regina had let them live—multiple times. "Why did you?" she asked. "Let me stay with Granny, I mean."

Regina smiled wryly, her emotions shoved firmly back below the surface where they belonged. "I never had anything against you, and I actually quite like your grandmother," she confided. "Don't tell her though. It would upset our status quo."

Ruby looked at Regina in shock. "But, I worked with Snow against you . . ."

"You helped your friend," Regina stated. "You were both outcasts. Why would I expect you to do anything else?"

"And you like Granny?" Ruby had not been this puzzled in a long time.

Regina smiled genuinely. "I do. She's tough. And she loves you," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I know," Ruby shifted uncomfortably. Just who was doing the interrogating here?

She turned to David. "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked, confused by her sudden agreement.

"Okay," she nodded. "I'll talk to Belle."

"Do you think she can be trusted?" Regina asked.

Ruby scoffed. "I don't even think you can be trusted."

Regina bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement, but persisted, "Do you think she will tell Gold about our questions? We may not want to tip our hand just yet where he is concerned."

"I'm not completely sure," Red replied honestly. "But, she seems good-hearted and is doing the whole Independent Woman thing these days, so I think it's worth a shot."

"She probably is our best chance of learning something without talking to Gold directly," David added.

"You're probably right about that. Okay, then," Regina nodded her head in approval of the plan. She then turned to Ruby, "You're going to need to try to get as much information as possible about details that may seem irrelevant and that you might even feel stupid asking about, but they could be critically important." Regina looked at Ruby, conveying her seriousness.

"Magic is science," David added solemnly.

Ruby looked at David quizzically, while Regina just shook her head in bemusement. "Yes, David, very good. I'm glad you were listening," she teased, secretly pleased at the evidence that he had absorbed something of her magical explanations.

Regina turned back to Red. "Colors are surprisingly important in this business. Whatever ingredients Gold used, I want to know what color each element was, and not just what color, but what shade. Luckily for us, Belle is an avid reader, so her powers of description are likely above average."

David once again marveled at Regina's analytical mind while she continued to list the particular types of information she wanted Ruby to obtain. Something about the granularity of powdered ingredients now.

In the Enchanted Forest, The Evil Queen had been feared due to her tremendous magical powers. He was beginning to suspect that they should have been terrified of her intelligence and ingenuity more than her magical ability. Or that they at least should have recognized that her magical powers were merely a symptom of her other significant talents.

Over the course of their research sessions, she had shown him that, while different sources of magic had different properties—including light and dark—the magic itself was merely a tool. David was discovering just how formidable this woman was regardless of the tools at her disposal. And, heaven help him, he was impressed.

Ruby had begun taking notes on her order pad. "I think I have everything," she said.

Regina nodded in approval. "Remember, the key is to get as many details as possible. It's difficult to know ahead of time which are going to be important."

"I get it," Ruby said, her temper beginning to run short. She didn't even like this woman, and she liked taking orders from her even less. _This is for Snow_, she reminded herself. _If working with her is what it takes to get my friend back, I'll do it._

Cheekily, Ruby abruptly changed the subject, "You delivered kittens today?"

"Yes, she did!" Henry bragged, still proud of his mother's previously hidden skills with animals.

Regina blushed slightly at Henry's enthusiasm as Ruby skeptically looked her over, "I just can't picture that."

Henry suddenly felt the need to defend his mother. She had done bad stuff, he knew, but she hadn't done anything mean since the curse was broken. And he was beginning to think that David was right—no one understood her.

"She's great with animals!" he asserted. "And she loves them. And they love her!"

Regina's face went crimson at her son's staunch defense of her. Maybe he did love her after all.

Ruby, while surprised at Henry's outburst, was still unconvinced. "You," she looked at Regina skeptically, "love animals?"

"Why does that surprise everyone?" Regina looked at David, who shrugged unapologetically for asking the same question earlier that day.

"Umm," Ruby pretended to think hard. "Maybe because you're super scary and you crush people's hearts into dust?"

Regina glared at her. "What does that have to do with liking animals?"

"You just don't seem like the warm and fuzzy type," Ruby responded.

Before Regina could snap at Ruby, David asked her, "Why do you like animals so much, Regina? Other than riding your horse, I don't remember seeing you interact much with them."

Regina looked at David, wondering how much it would be wise to share. Seeing Henry listening intently, and indifferent to Ruby's reaction, she said, "Animals do not have any ulterior motives. Their needs are simple and easily anticipated."

"Unless they are hungry," she continued, "they have no reason to hurt me." With conviction, she stated, "That makes them more trustworthy than most people."

It was Ruby who nodded in immediate understanding and agreement while David and Henry contemplated her words.

Before they could ask any more follow-up questions, Doc walked into the diner with five other dirty, but elated, dwarves.

"We found them!" he exclaimed. "We found diamonds!"

xxxxx

_**A/N: Coming up: Evil Charming and my AU take on Child of the Moon. Reviews are treasured!**_


	11. Magic and Chains under the Moon

_**A/N: Now for some more plot! This chapter borrows heavily from episode 2x7 Child of the Moon, so I would like to re-disclaim that I do not own anything related to ABC or its affiliates, and I am in no way making money from this little endeavor of mine.**_

_**Also, in case some of you out there are worried that I've skipped including 2x5 The Doctor, I haven't. I'm merely reordering the episode sequence for my own nefarious purposes. We'll get to The Doctor in a chapter or two. Similarly, some of the CotM events have been re-arranged or omitted.**_

_**As always, reviews are appreciated!**_

xxxxx

"Are you calm?" Regina asked. Normally, she would feel silly asking someone if he was calm amidst all this nature with only the two of them to interrupt the tranquility of the scene, but it was apparent that her protégé was anything but tranquil.

David glared. "I was. Until you asked me that question for the tenth time."

"You don't seem calm," she replied, completely unperturbed at his irritation. "If you seemed calm, I wouldn't ask."

If she wasn't mistaken—and she rarely was—the Prince emitted a low growl in response.

"Don't get mad at me," she said. _Not that I care if he's mad at me, or what he thinks of me_, she attempted to convince herself. "It's not my fault you can't relax, and it's not my fault that if we try to do this, and you aren't relaxed and focused, then you could kill us both. By all means, bite my head off. That will solve our problem."

He hated that she was right. "How am I supposed to relax when I know that everything hinges on my ability to do magic?" he asked her. "Now that the dwarves found diamonds and are making some into fairy dust, Operation Boomerang—getting Emma and Snow back—relies on me."

Despite her better judgment (her inner monologue seemed to be using that phrase too frequently lately), she stepped into David's personal space and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"David," she said. _His eyes are so blue._ "I know you can do this." She willed her confidence to seep into his veins. "The crystal diagnostics indicated that you have all of the necessary raw materials to perform magic."

Doubt still filled his eyes. "Trust me," she told him.

He nodded. He wasn't happy about this situation, but he did trust Regina. Their alliance had developed into something resembling a friendly partnership, and, while he wasn't sure she would admit to it, he believed that she did care about his welfare.

"But," she continued. "You must relax." She quirked an eyebrow to take the edge of her authoritative tone and was rewarded with a minor chuckle from the stressed -out Acting Sheriff.

"Close your eyes," she requested and unconsciously began to rub small circles along his shoulders to work out the knots in his muscles.

"Now," she continued. "Imagine my voice belongs to the person who makes you feel the safest." She allowed him a moment to create whatever illusion he required in his mind.

"And imagine you are exactly where you want to be." She felt more tension leave his shoulders.

"And that only this moment exists." She felt him slowly exhale under her fingers, finally relaxed.

She allowed herself a small smile of relief. Maybe this reluctant sorcerer would perform a spell today after all.

"Look within yourself," she gently commanded. "When you find what you know is love, broadcast it to me."

Almost immediately, Regina felt the air pushed from her lungs as she and David were encompassed in a translucent, golden sphere.

Disconcerted, but pleased with her student's progress, Regina said, "Open your eyes."

He opened his eyes, and Regina was startled. Instead of instantly evaporating, the golden ball of magic seemed to intensify in power and began to hum. And, she could swear that David seemed to be looking straight into her soul as he grasped her arms.

The magic around them buzzed and popped, jumping like an electric current that hadn't been properly grounded.

Suddenly, David's lips closed over hers, and Regina was lost in the sensation of his kiss. Then, suddenly, the golden magic exploded around them and shot into the surrounding forest.

An intense moment later, a startled Regina pulled herself from David's arms.

David, instantly bereft of her presence, looked at her for her reaction—to the kiss or the magic, he wasn't sure.

Regina, disoriented but unwilling to admit it, said, "Well, umm, that was . . . promising." She assembled her standard armor around her heart as she forced the next words from her mouth. "You envisioned Snow and drew upon some very powerful magic." She straightened her clothes. "Once the fairy dust is complete, we should be able to get them back without a problem."

She turned and headed along the path to his truck. That was quite enough of that for one day. Enjoyable as contact with the Prince might have been, she was no one's stand in for Snow White.

It took David a few moments longer to register what Regina said and to follow her along the path to the car. He had imagined Snow. Of course. What other explanation was there?

_Then why had he only heard Regina's voice?_

xxxxx

On their way into town, David's phone rang. After a brief conversation, he turned to Regina. "Change of plans. We're going to the docks."

At the grim look on his face, Regina refrained from asking any questions and just nodded.

xxxxx

Regina surveyed Billy's body and the surrounding scene as David took the witnesses' statements.

When he rejoined her by the truck, she said, "You know what this is supposed to look like, right?"

"Yes," he said. "Let's go to the diner." He didn't care what it looked like.

There was no way Ruby had killed anyone.

xxxxx

"Where's Ruby?" David asked the teenager at the cash register.

"In the back with Granny," the clerk answered the acting sheriff.

Regina stood in the entryway awkwardly as David headed around the counter. Noticing the absence of her distinctive heel-clad footsteps, he turned toward her, "Coming?"

Surprise flashed across her face before she began to follow David. Maybe she could be part of the team after all.

When they made their way to the back room, they found Granny and Ruby surveying the significant damage to the freezer door.

Regina hung back as David approached his long-time friend.

"Ruby," he said.

Immediately concerned by his tone, Ruby urgently asked, "Oh God. What did I do?"

David reached out to hold her shoulder. "Nothing. You didn't do anything."

Ruby nodded but was still clearly panicked. "What's wrong then?"

"Billy was found this morning," he said gently. "He's been killed."

Ruby's featured contorted. "I killed him! Oh my god, I killed him." She began to choke on repressed sobs as Granny pulled her into her arms.

When she had calmed down somewhat, David said, "I know you, Ruby. You did not kill anyone."

"How do you know?" she replied more angrily than she intended. "I've done it before. And Granny found me in the woods this morning after I escaped from the freezer."

"I know who you really are, Ruby. Even if you've lost sight of it," David assured her with quiet confidence.

"Who else could it be?" Ruby demanded. Why wouldn't anyone take the threat of her wolf-turning seriously? She killed Peter. Clearly, she was capable of deadly violence as a wolf.

"Umm, how about anyone else?" Regina said, reminding them of her presence.

"Right," Ruby said sarcastically. "Because so many people in this town turn into vicious killers during the full moon."

Regina stepped farther into the room. "Just because it looked like a wolf attack doesn't mean that it was one," she stated with a patronizing edge to her voice.

Regina turned toward Granny. "When you found her in the woods this morning, did you see any blood?"

"No," Granny responded. "And I didn't smell any either." She nodded her head in approval of Regina's thinking. "You didn't do it," she told Ruby.

"You don't know that!" Ruby protested. She was stuck in her own nightmare. The nightmare where she killed Peter over and over and no one stopped her. Only this time, Peter's name was Billy.

Sensing that the girl was near hysteria and temporarily beyond the reach of reason, David addressed Regina. "I know why I didn't think Ruby was guilty. What made you think she didn't do it?"

"Please," Regina said. "Everything about this situation screams frame-job. And not even a very good one. Billy asked Ruby out in public yesterday, making their relationship fresh in everyone's minds."

Regina continued her explanation with clinical detachment, "Ruby's wolf transformation is, quite possibly, the most open secret in Storybrooke. This could serve two purposes for the killer. First, he or she can count on everyone assuming Ruby's guilt. Secondly, even if someone, like us, thought she was innocent, we can't use knowledge of Ruby's wolf-time as a way to narrow our suspect pool."

"Also," she concluded. "While I'm sure Ruby's impressively strong in wolf form, the freezer door broke the wrong way."

David and Granny re-examined the freezer and noticed that the hinges, rather than the latch, had broken off the frame.

"Someone loosened the screws in the hinges," Regina told Ruby. "And it looks like they motivated you by leaving out a raw steak," she indicated remnants of blood on the floor near the door.

At David's surprised look at her thorough analysis, she said, "I have, on occasion, been the one doing the framing." Her tone was matter of fact, before turning lighter, "Evil Queen, remember?" she said with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Relieved that Regina had given him some evidence of his friend's innocence, David embraced her teasing tone. "Of course," he replied. "I defer to Your Majesty's authority on all matters of a diabolical nature."

Granny watched the exchange with interest. She was grateful for the Queen's insight that helped her granddaughter, but her gratitude did not make her blind to the new dynamic between the Prince and Her Majesty. Just when had they become so friendly?

"Okay," Ruby cut into their banter impatiently. "Say you're right, and someone is framing me. Who is it?"

"I don't know," Regina said. "Who hates you?"

"Umm, I don't know," Red replied sarcastically. "You."

"I don't hate you," Regina corrected her bluntly. "Even back in our land, I never hated you. You got in my way from time to time, but I didn't hate you."

Red was startled into speechlessness by the queen's unvarnished, honest answer. She was much more accustomed to an arrogant Regina. This more human version was . . . unsettling.

"Well, we know it wasn't Regina," David said, breaking the tense silence. "Right?" He looked to her for confirmation. At Regina's nod, he continued. "So, who else could it be?"

"I don't think anyone else here has anything against me personally," Ruby replied thoughtfully. "But, it could be someone that just hates all werewolves."

"That doesn't make sense," Regina said.

"It wouldn't be the first time a werewolf has been discriminated against," Red replied defensively.

"No, no, that's not what I mean," Regina regrouped and walked through her train of thought aloud. "I don't mean that I think werewolf discrimination doesn't exist, nor do I mean that I think it is okay that it does, because it isn't. I just mean that, if someone has a problem with werewolves, that someone's problem is probably due to the fear of a werewolf attack. So, why kill someone to prevent a deadly attack? It just doesn't make sense."

"Well, how about because they are crazy?" Ruby spat, still frustrated by the entire situation.

"It's certainly possible," Regina acknowledged.

"Great," Ruby replied. "Now that we agree that it's possible that another homicidal maniac is on the loose, can we discuss what to do about me tonight? Because, I really don't want to kill anyone else."

David began to protest that she hadn't killed anyone in Storybrooke, but Ruby held her hand up to stall his comment. She looked toward Regina. "Come with me."

Regina's surprise showed on her face. "Okay," she said, confused that Ruby would solicit her company.

"Don't get any ideas," Ruby said sharply. "We are not friends. I just figure you would know the most about how to imprison people."

Regina smirked despite herself, glad to see that Ruby's spunk was back. "Fair enough," she said as she followed the young woman out of the walk-in.

xxxxx

If Regina, Granny, or David were surprised when they realized that Ruby had led them to the library, they didn't show it.

"Belle?" Ruby called as she led the others into the building. "I need those shackles you're including in your Spanish Inquisition display!"

Belle leaned over the banister from the second floor, her surprise at such a strange request from her new friend outweighed by the company she brought with her.

"Umm," Belle attempted to make sense of the situation. "She has magic. Do you really think the shackles will hold her?" she asked Ruby, indicating Regina.

"They aren't for her," Ruby stated. "They are for me. And I hope they hold," she muttered. Calling back upstairs, she asked, "May I use them or not? I'm running out of time before the sun sets."

"Sure," Belle said, still perplexed.

Moments later, she joined the group downstairs. "Here," she handed Ruby the chains. Then, quietly, she asked, "What is she doing here?" Once again referring to Regnia.

"I can hear you, you know," Regina was losing her patience with people acting like she wasn't there. She was also sick of people asking questions that didn't make sense. Why would she walk into a library of her own volition to be shackled? Really. No wonder she was able to curse these people with so little problem. Even the smart ones neglected their critical thinking.

David placed his hand on her arm to soothe her irritation, but, instead of the calm reassurance his touches had conveyed previously, a current crackled between them, humming with energy. Startled, the two jumped apart.

"What's with you guys?" Ruby asked, short-tempered. Was anyone ever going to chain her up, or what?

"Umm, nothing," David said awkwardly and not at all convincingly. He looked to Regina for answers. Just what had happened between them in the forest? And why was there an aftereffect?

She shook her head at him almost imperceptibly. _Not now_. They could discuss whatever the hell it was later. Much later. And without an audience.

Turning back to Belle, Ruby said, "She's on our team. For now. We still don't like her though."

Belle looked at Regina doubtfully. "Sounds like an accurate summary to me," Regina said.

Granny, who was still watching David, couldn't quite agree. She thought that at least one of the people in the library liked Regina. _Interesting, indeed._

"Sheriff," Granny addressed David. "Why don't we leave the girls to their chains while you and I track down the murderous villain trying to frame my Ruby?"

"Good thinking, Granny," David agreed. "You all right here?" he asked the three women, but he looked at Regina. _Are you all right, here?_ He knew Ruby and Belle hardly considered her an ally.

Another imperceptible nod for him from Regina. _It's fine. And I can take care of myself_, she quirked her eyebrow with a small smirk.

He repressed a smile. Indeed, she could take care of herself.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ruby said. "Go find the bastard who killed Billy."

After the door closed behind David and Granny, Ruby turned to Regina. "Okay, then. Go ahead and do it."

"All right," Regina said, reaching for the chains.

"No," Ruby said, keeping hold of the shackles. "I mean freeze me or whatever. Imprison me magically. Something I can't break."

Regina shook her head. "No."

"Do you want to help or not?" Ruby asked angrily.

"I'm not doing it," Regina stated.

Belle anxiously glanced between the women. She didn't understand why Ruby thought she needed to be locked up, but she was more concerned with the escalating tension. She didn't like her chances of remaining unhurt if she had to break up a physical fight between the two brunettes.

Ruby took a threatening step toward Regina. "Lock. Me. Up."

Regina didn't flinch. "No. Not with magic."

Ruby's nostrils flared. Regina was unaffected. Ruby didn't scare her . . . but she really didn't want to explain to Henry why she'd injured his friend.

"Look, Ruby," Regina said in the most conciliatory tone she could manage. "Magic is extremely unpredictable here. Binding spells are never without their risks, even in the Enchanted Forest, and, here, well, for all I know it could kill you."

"And," Regina said in a lighter tone, "as previously stated, I don't want to kill you." She gave Ruby a wry smile.

Ruby let out a sigh of desperation and ran her hand through her hair.

Before Belle and Regina knew what had happened, they were shackled together around a support beam.

"Ruby?" Belle exclaimed.

Regina was disgusted with herself for letting her guard down around someone who was obviously not thinking clearly. She looked at Ruby, her patience gone. "Stop being stupid and let us out of these chains," she said critically.

"I am not being stupid," Ruby snapped. "I am a monster. And maybe I need to do the right thing and let someone put me down."

"Ruby," Regina pleaded despite herself, "that is most decidedly _not_ the right thing. You were framed. You haven't hurt anyone."

"Not yet," Ruby said, heading toward the door. "And, with any luck, I won't have the chance."

"Sorry, Belle," she tossed over her shoulder before leaving them alone in the library.

Belle looked at Regina, looked at the chains, and then looked back at the door. "You have got to be joking."

"I've said that to myself so many times lately that the phrase has lost its meaning," Regina muttered as she sat down on the floor and attempted to make herself comfortable.

"You're not going to magic us out of this?" Belle looked down at her incredulously.

"No," Regina replied.

"But—"

"I made a promise to Henry not to use unnecessary magic, and I intend to keep that promise," Regina was tired of justifying her decisions to these people. People, that, as usual, just wanted something from her.

"Surely, he would understand," Belle persisted.

"Maybe he would," Regina said. "And I'm sure that I am the last person you want to be chained to, but we are not in danger; we are just inconvenienced." As she said this, she pulled out her cell phone.

"Wonderful!" Belle exclaimed at the sight of the phone. She sat down beside Regina instantly restored to her natural cheerfulness. "Who are you going to call to let us out?"

Regina raised an eyebrow at Belle. Did this slip of a girl ever listen? Really, what did Rumpel see in her? I guess she has that whole bright-eyed, hopeful, innocent thing going. Like Bambi. Regina cracked a smile at the visual of Rumpel romancing a deer, before answering her fellow captive. "I'm not. Like I said, we are not in any physical danger, but Ruby is. I'm texting David to let him know that she is on the loose and being a suicidal moron and to ask him to give me a call when that situation is under control."

"Why not ask him to, oh, I don't know, come release us?"

Feisty, Regina thought. I like her better already. "Because then his hero complex wouldn't know which damsel to focus on—Ruby or you—and, given that we don't know who framed Ruby, I don't want his attention divided when he needs to protect Ruby and catch a murderer. When he calls later, I'll ask him to come by with a key."

If Belle was surprised at Regina's thoughtfulness toward her former enemies, she was wise enough not to comment.

xxxxx

After an hour sitting on the floor next to the woman who kept her imprisoned for over three decades in multiple dimensions, Belle finally broke the silence, "What did I do to make you hate me so much?"

Regina groaned. One heart-to-heart was more than enough for her for one day. "You can't really be that narcissistic? You were nothing more than a chess piece to me. Necessary, acceptable collateral damage," she looked at Belle unapologetically. "But you already knew that," Regina accused her.

Belle nodded. "I still don't understand it though."

"Well, if you're true love—" Regina spat the phrase venomously— "hasn't explained it to you, then it seems unlikely that you ever will." More calmly, she said, "So I'd get used to confusion, if I were you."

A couple moments of uneasy silence later, Belle said, "You are the reason that Ruby was asking me weird questions about Rumpelstiltskin returning magic to Storybrooke."

Regina debated the wisdom of confirming or denying Belle's statement. She could tell by the way Belle spoke his name that, whatever the current status of their relationship, Belle's allegiance was undeniably with Rumpel.

And therefore not with her.

On the other hand, what was the point of lying if Belle had already figured out that Ruby was, however temporarily, working with her?

So, Regina remained silent. After all, the beautiful bookworm hadn't actually asked her a question.

It had been a long time since Regina had wished for a man to rescue her, but she had to admit, any time David was ready to show up with a key was fine by her. Her only consolation was that Henry was spending the evening with Grumpy, and, despite her differences with the dwarf, he would guard Henry with his life. At least she knew he was safe.

"I told Ruby everything I know," Belle offered.

"Good for you," Regina said indifferently. Belle might run off and tell Rumpel about the questions they'd been asking, but at least she wouldn't know how important they considered her answers.

xxxxx

Regina was fighting back her panic. That insipid girl had proceeded to tell her everything she knew about the return of magic to Storybrooke. For the life of her, Regina couldn't figure out why. Maybe she hoped to get information by giving it. Or maybe she was just passing the time and torturing Regina with the sound of her voice.

Either way, at this point, Regina was focusing on regulating her breathing. She was still determined to show a façade of indifference to her former prisoner, even though she felt as far from indifferent as possible.

He wouldn't. It was so dangerous. Such an unstable basis on which to overlay a magical grid. Belle had to be mistaken.

Who was she kidding? Of course he would. Rumpelstiltskin had been the Dark One for centuries. He would do anything to retain that power. He hardly knew who he was without it.

But it was so reckless.

And if what Belle was saying was true . . . then that would mean that what had happened with David's magic in the forest this morning was . . . no, she had to be wrong.

But she wasn't. She knew she wasn't. And confirming it would be simple enough.

What was she going to do? She had promised Henry that she would work to get Emma and Snow back.

But that was before she knew the cost would be this high.

xxxxx

"David!" Regina exclaimed as the door to the library finally opened. "Thank God!" she said as she stood and began brushing the dust off her clothes.

Her relief was short-lived, however, as she observed David's posture—utterly defeated.

This was not a good day for Operation Boomerang.

She was hinging on the edge of panicked hysteria, and the hopeful prince appeared to be in the throes of despair.

Her panic could wait.

"David?" Regina asked tentatively.

He shook his head briefly. He could not talk about it. To say the words out loud . . . it was too much. He silently unlocked the shackles.

"Are you all right?" he asked Belle. He couldn't look at Regina yet. She would see right through him.

"Yeah," Belle replied, sensing that something was wrong. She didn't know these people well, but she could tell that something was off with the acting sheriff. She flicked her gaze between David and Regina and said, "I'm going to head to the diner. Check in on Granny and Red. Maybe get another hamburger. Lock up when you're done?"

David gave her a hollow smile and a nod of affirmation before she let herself out of the library.

He finally turned to look at Regina, who was stretching and rubbing her wrists.

Instantly concerned, he took her wrists in his hands, inspecting them. "Are you hurt?"

Affected by his demonstration of concern for her well-being—and noticing the recurrence of the crackling magic between them—she gently shook her head, "No."

"Good," he said, allowing her wrists to drop to her sides and his defeated attitude to return.

"David," she turned his face gently toward hers. "What happened?"

He reached up to grasp her hand and held it. The magic popped and crackled, but now that he knew to expect it, it wasn't uncomfortable, exactly. He might even describe it as pleasant.

"Ruby is okay," he told her. Regina let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Apparently, she'd begun to care about the young, lost, wolf-woman.

"No one else was hurt." He had to focus on that. George hadn't been able to injure or kill anyone else since he and Granny discovered Red's cloak and the murder weapon in his car.

Regina stepped closer to him and rubbed small circles on his hands with her thumbs. "Good. It sounds like you did your job, Sheriff," she tried to comfort him, still uncertain about the source of his deep unhappiness.

She realized a moment too late that she had said the exact wrong words to make David feel better. He released her hands and ran his through his hair, throwing his arms outward in complete frustration.

"But I haven't," he exclaimed. "I have failed everyone."

Regina was startled by his sudden outburst, and she suspected that he was overreacting. She also knew, however, that this poor man had been under extra-ordinary pressure since the breaking of the—_her_—curse and that this minor breakdown was overdue, so she stood quietly as he gave voice to his fears and self-flagellation.

"These people were counting on me," he said. "They were counting on me to keep them safe and to bring back their real leader, because, let's face it," he scoffed. "I'm just a stand-in for Snow. I'm a shepherd who never should have worn a crown or been permitted to lead anyone besides sheep."

"And I've failed them." His anger suddenly left him, and he sagged against the reading table.

His voice cracked with restrained tears, "I've failed them. I've failed my wife. And I've failed my daughter." He looked at Regina through glassy eyes. "I missed twenty-eight years. I finally had the opportunity to help my little girl, and I've failed her."

Regina couldn't take it anymore. She strode over to the Shepherd Prince, perched next to him on the table, and pulled him into her arms. She held him firmly as he cried, kissing his hair and holding him as though he was an oversized version of her own son. She ignored the magic humming between them as sobs wrecked David's body.

Here, up close and personal, was the result of her curse-casting. The kindest, most generous person she knew was devastated by the loss of his family, by time irretrievably lost.

She had never loathed herself more.

An indeterminate amount of time later, when his sobs had quieted and his breathing had evened out, he pulled himself into an upright position, sitting next to her on the library table.

Holding her hands, he said, "Thank you."

_But I'm the one that did this to you,_ she thought. Instead, she replied, "I think you were overdue for a minor meltdown."

He gave her a weak smile, "Yeah."

She hated to press the issue, but it sounded like whatever had happened to David that night had magnified their Operation Boomerang problems—problems that had already been pushing her into near hysteria before his arrival.

"David," she said, squeezing his hands. "What happened? It sounds like you think we've lost our opportunity to get Emma and Snow back." She hoped that saying his fear for him would make it easier for him to give her the facts of the situation.

Still upset, but grateful for the chance to discuss the retrieval of his family on a strategic and intellectual level, rather than an emotional one, he said, "King George—Albert Spencer—he framed Ruby."

He met Regina's gaze. "He framed Ruby, stole the hat, and burnt it. In front of me. And I could do nothing."

Regina felt sick to her stomach as the prince's words echoed against memories carefully repressed. This story was too familiar.

"If I had only learned more magic, or killed him when I had the chance, if—"

"No," she said quietly, but with authority. "Don't think like that. Don't torture yourself with possibilities that no longer exist."

The intensity in her gaze bored straight to his soul. "Someday," she told him, "we will have a discussion about how dangerous and destructive your current thinking is." She placed a hand over his heart. His good, strong heart. "But for now, you need to take my word for it. Don't wonder about what might have been."

The religious fervor dissipated from her voice, and she continued in her more familiar, logical tone, "You did what you could. If you had known that George was that insane, you would have done things differently. But you didn't, and he's a psychopath. And that, dear, is not your fault."

David's curiosity was piqued through his despair as he once again wondered what had happened in this beautiful woman's past to wound her so deeply. Tonight, though, his curiosity could not shake off his melancholy. "What do I say when I tell the town that I've lost our chance to get back their beloved Queen and Princess?" Regina was the most gifted politician he knew. If she couldn't phrase his announcement in a way that would prevent mass panic, then it wasn't possible.

Regina ignored the twinge she felt at the phrase 'beloved Queen' and lightly teased, "Well, definitely not that."

Her lame attempt at humor was rewarded with a brief, surprised laugh from David.

This was the moment. Should she tell him that his chance to regain his family was not destroyed with the hat?

She would be risking everything with such a declaration.

But she would restore his hope.

Or, should she tell him that she is sure that Emma and Snow are fine and safe in the Enchanted Forest and that he should let go and move on with his life?

Condemning him to a life of regret and self-loathing. A life she understood far too well.

She observed the man in front of her and felt the crackling of magic beneath her fingers where she touched him—a crackling that seemed to mirror the confused whirl of feelings inside her. What should she do? Everything she ever wanted was within her grasp. Snow and Emma would be gone for good, and Henry wouldn't be able to blame her. She could have her son back in every sense.

And this broken man . . . maybe they could continue their friendship—or whatever it was—a friendship that would certainly end with the return of Snow White and Emma Swan.

But could she do that to him? Take away his family? _Again?_ Now that she knew how little he deserved it? His despair pulled at her heart.

Heaven help her. She wasn't just doing this for Henry anymore, was she?

xxxxx

_**A/N: All right. We're starting to get to the crux of the matter, folks. It's probably going to be a few days before my next update—my three dimensional life requires my attention—but I would love to know what y'all think in the meantime. This chapter gave me difficulty, so feedback is welcome. I'm particularly uncomfortable with romance scenes, so encouragement from you EC shippers would be great!**_

_**I do try to incorporate requests, when I can do it well enough. Thanks again to all who have reviewed so far, including guest reviewers—I hate that I can't reply directly! Without you, at least 20,000 of these words would be abandoned on my hard drive.**_


	12. Of freezer doors and sidewalks

_**A/N: Sorry about describing Belle as a "blonde"—I was definitely remembering the actress's part from Lost instead! Oops! I've tried to correct the prior chapters and will try to remember that Emma is the only blonde on this show. Thank you to Dakota for pointing this out.**_

xxxxx

"_What do I say when I tell the town that I've lost our chance to get back their beloved Queen and Princess?" David asked her._

_This was the moment. Should she tell him that his chance to regain his family was not destroyed with the hat?_

"David," she said, squeezing his hand, both to get his attention and to strengthen her resolve. "You might not have to say anything." The magic between their joined hands crackled comfortably; they had become accustomed to the sensation.

He looked at her, perplexed. Surely, she wasn't suggesting that he lie to the entire town? Then again, maybe she was . . . but she wouldn't give Henry false hope. That was too cruel.

Regina pushed the words from her lips with physical effort. She couldn't believe she was going to suggest this particular back-up plan. The thought made her sick; panic still dancing on her nerves. "We might—_might_—still be able to get them back."

There, she said it. There was no going back now. She would just have to make sure, absolutely sure, that this plan worked.

"Really?" Hope sprung in David's chest. Maybe he hadn't failed his family after all.

Regina nodded, allowing a small smile to escape at the man's tentative excitement. "We weren't even certain the hat would have worked. It might have, but it was by no means a sure thing. George destroying the hat just forces us to focus on a different solution—maybe a solution that we should have focused on from the beginning."

"We can still get them back," she assured him. "We will figure it out."

Her confidence was compelling. He was suddenly and intensely grateful that she was on his side, particularly because she really didn't have to be. In that moment, gratitude—and a flash of something else—surged through him, and he closed the distance between himself and Regina, cradled her head in his hand, and kissed her.

Regina froze in shock as she felt David's lips move against hers, but when he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer, she melted into his embrace, giving herself over to the sensations. He nipped at her lower lip, and she granted him entry as he deepened the kiss.

If David had given any thought to the kind of kiss he intended to give Regina before acting on the impulse, he would have told himself that he merely wanted to express his gratitude to a new-found ally in his quest. With Regina in his arms, however, skimming one hand down his spine and another through his hair, it was clear that this kiss was the complete opposite of platonic.

It was as if the two of them couldn't get close enough to each other. The golden magic from the morning was back in full force, pulsing and popping, but David and Regina were too focused on each other to notice. He peppered kisses down her throat, as he pushed them back onto the table.

Regina could not believe this was happening. She hadn't been this turned on in a long time, and David's stubble along her throat felt so, so good. She couldn't get enough. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt to pull him to her mouth for a searing kiss. As their tongues dueled for dominance, his left arm slid out from its braced position against the top of the table into a stack of books, sending them to the floor.

The sudden crashing of the books jerked Regina and David out of the moment. They pulled their faces apart and gazed at each other in embarrassment and confusion. As their passion-induced haze began to clear, light blushes spread across their cheeks. They each cleared their throats as David awkwardly disentangled himself from Regina, and she sat upright on the table.

"Well," Regina said, avoiding contact with David's eyes. _What the hell was that?_ She had assumed that their kiss that morning had been due to a temporary hallucination by David, but she didn't have any such excuse for this little interlude of theirs. And, David's motives aside—what the hell was she doing? She hadn't exactly pushed him away.

Quite the contrary as a matter of fact.

Sure, she had set out to seduce clueless David Nolan not too long ago, but that was for the purpose of torturing Snow White with the possibility of satisfying, yet meaningless, sex. That scenario had been the result of careful calculation.

There was nothing calculated about her current situation. She hadn't planned a deliberate seduction, but it was still meaningless, right? It had to be. Anything with David had to be meaningless. Her meaning had been lost long ago.

Clearly, it had just been too long since she'd scratched this particular itch, and Snow White's husband _was_ attractive. So, she'd lost her head for a bit. It didn't have to mean anything. She'd just have to make sure it didn't happen again. While she was perfectly happy to seduce pre-curse David Nolan, she couldn't have Henry angry with her for breaking up his favorite "True Love" couple. No, she shook her head; a few good—_really good_—kisses weren't worth it.

David was flabbergasted. What was wrong with him? This woman was doing nothing but trying to help him—help him get his wife and daughter back, no less—and he had accosted her twice in the same day. What was he thinking? Regina was gorgeous, certainly. Even now—especially now—he thought, as his eyes flitted over her disheveled appearance. But that was no excuse for his behavior. How could he do this to Snow? It didn't make any sense. He loved her. He had woken her up from a sleeping curse—administered by the woman he had just been ravishing—with true love's kiss. What was going on? And what was all of this crackling yellow magic?

"Did you put me under a lust spell?" David asked her abruptly. It was the only explanation for why he felt so bewitched by her. For why he would betray his wife like this.

Regina looked like he had just slapped her, and she immediately closed herself off. In a carefully neutral tone, her face betraying nothing, she said, "No. And you can be sure I didn't, because, if I had, those books hitting the floor would not have brought us to our senses, and you definitely wouldn't think to ask that question." Horrid man. As if she had _ever_ needed to use a lust spell.

"We would be otherwise occupied," she said the words deliberately, moving back into his personal space in an almost predatory manner. She was rewarded when she heard his breath hitch and saw the pulse in his neck quicken. _Lust spell, indeed_, she thought smugly.

David instantly regretted the question. How could he hurt her like this? He had accused her of something deceitful and malicious when she had been nothing but stalwart in his quest to regain his family. "Regina . . ." he spoke her name apologetically, almost pleading.

But her walls were back up and stronger than ever. She moved away from him briskly, straightening her clothes and adjusting her appearance to remove all evidence of their . . . indiscretion.

She cut off his apology, "You're picking up Henry?" It was more of a statement than a question, and her business-like, authoritative manner was more reminiscent of the pre-curse mayor than the thoughtful, clever woman he had begun to know and value.

At his nod, she said, "Good. Tell him I love him." Without looking at him, she strode purposefully out the door, leaving David alone in the library.

xxxxx

"Need any help with that?" Regina asked, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"Of course not," Granny replied, as she struggled to put the mangled freezer door back onto its broken hinges.

Regina smirked. "My mistake," she said dryly. "Would you _like_ any help?"

Granny leaned the door against its frame and looked at the dangerous woman in her pantry. At least now she understood why her dining room had gone suddenly quiet a moment ago. Judging by the sounds of clanking silverware, however, her patrons had recovered from the surprise of seeing the evil queen.

Granny gave her an appraising look. Regina was certainly not at ease, but she didn't seem aggressive.

"Sure," Granny said. Red probably wouldn't be back until morning anyway, and she wanted the use of her freezer. Her lasagna needed to go back on the menu.

xxxxx

David was berating himself as he walked to pick up Henry. Some charming prince he was, kissing his wife's mortal enemy while she was enduring heaven knows what in another dimension. How could he do this? Even under the curse, he hadn't betrayed Snow in such a way. She, in the meantime, had slept with Whale, he thought bitterly. I mean, he had been with Kathryn, but he had thought he was married to her . . . .

Why had he been immune to Regina while under her curse—_when giving in would have been forgivable_—only to now be acutely drawn to her—_when he should know better than to act on it_?

He knew the answer to this particular musing, even if he wasn't ready to contemplate the implications. Even in his cursed state, he had recognized that the mayor was all artifice and that her actions were carefully selected. Genuine emotion was absent from his interactions with Mayor Mills.

Regina, on the other hand—the Regina that had approached him to work together, the Regina that had chased his toad-self around her house, the Regina that had allowed him to savor her mouth—she was real.

She still held tightly to a private pain—of that he was sure—but the glimpses of emotion she allowed him to witness were honest. And in those moments when she allowed him to see pieces of who she really was . . . well, she was enchanting.

How could he do this to her? She was working to redeem herself. To become a better person for her son. To do the right thing and help him bring back Emma and Snow. And he repaid her with an inability to restrain himself and an accusation that it was her fault. How gallant.

"Sorry," he responded automatically as he bumped into someone walking the opposite direction. He looked up, "Archie, hi."

"Hello, David," the town's cricket turned therapist replied, pausing in his walk. "How are you?"

David laughed the sound of someone who did not find anything funny. "Not good, Archie, not good at all," he answered honestly. "How are you?"

"Better than you, I suspect," Archie replied. "Want to talk about it?" he offered gently.

David shook his head. "Not today." He didn't know what to think, let alone what to say. "I might be in a love triangle with my 'true love' and the Evil Queen who tried, but didn't really try, to kill us both," he blurted out.

Clearly, something was wrong with his impulse control today.

Archie's eyebrows hit his hairline, but, in a true credit to his professionalism, he recovered a carefully neutral expression almost immediately. "That sounds . . . complicated," he said diplomatically as he indicated a bench for them to sit on.

This could take a while.

xxxxx

Fixing the door with Regina was going surprisingly well. Reshaping and rehanging a freezer door was definitely a two-woman job, and the queen was an impressively hard worker, particularly for royalty. She also seemed to know her way around a set of tools.

Grumpy, having heard about the broken door, had even dropped by with Astrid to see if Granny needed any help, but the two women were handling the repair well on their own. Just as well, since Henry was next door buying ice cream, and they needed to return home in case David came by to pick him up.

_Amazing,_ Regina thought as she watched the couple leave. _She takes ten years off his appearance._ Even as her heart ached, a tiny part of her acknowledged that it was nice to see such unassuming true love. For true love it most certainly was. She hadn't witnessed it breaking a few of her more powerful curses without learning to recognize it.

"Red told me, you know," Granny said, as she and Regina continued to hammer the metal back into a mostly door-like shape.

"Told you what?" Regina replied, deliberately misunderstanding her.

"That you like me," Granny said simply with a small smirk.

Regina let out a huff. "I knew she wasn't to be trusted," she muttered.

Granny just grinned wider.

"We are _not_ going to hug this out," Regina snapped, but without her usual abrasiveness, "So if you could just hold this door in place, that would be helpful."

" 'Hug it out,'" Granny parroted. "I wouldn't dream of it," she said, the grin still plastered on her face.

xxxxx

David shook his head at the bench Archie indicated. "I don't know why I just told you that, but I really don't want to talk about it."

Archie nodded in understanding. "Well," he said, "If you ever do," he shrugged, implying the obvious invitation.

"Thanks, Archie," David said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"You're welcome," Archie said as David began to continue toward Grumpy's. "Oh, and David?"

"Yes?" David asked.

"Regina . . ." Archie struggled with what to say. He suspected that the prince didn't know that Regina was subjecting herself to regular therapy, and he didn't want to violate her doctor-patient confidentiality, however fictional his medical license might be.

"Just, don't be too hard on her," Archie said. "She could use a friend." He might have crossed a line with that comment, but he didn't believe the broken queen was irredeemable, and if the man in front of him was falling in love with her, then he could influence how difficult Regina's redemption would be . . . or whether it happened at all.

"And cut yourself some slack as well," Archie added. "You might've been in a coma for most of it, but you still spent twenty-eight years _not_ married to or remembering Snow. You're allowed to be confused."

"Thanks, Archie," David said with feeling, returning Archie's reassuring smile with one of genuine gratitude.

As both men went on their way, David continued his walk to Grumpy's with no less to think about, but with his load a little easier to carry.

xxxxx

The diner long closed, Granny and Regina stood back, admiring their work. The freezer door was reattached, and the seal was appropriately tight. Not bad considering it had been severely mauled by a wolf the night before.

Granny nodded in approval and turned to her unexpected assistant. "Want a nightcap?" She wasn't born yesterday. The proud woman beside her was clearly avoiding going home to a large, empty house. Granny thought helping her avoid Henry's empty bedroom for a little while longer was a fair trade for a few hours hard labor.

"Sure," Regina said. "What are you having?" She grinned broadly as Granny held up a bottle of amber liquid and headed toward the counter.

"I still can't believe your lasagnas are frozen," Regina told Granny as she poured the liquor into tumblers. "And you don't reheat with magic?"

Granny chuckled, "Nope. They are just that good."

Regina nodded her head in agreement. "That they are."

The two women drank in—relatively—companionable silence for a few moments. It had been a bizarre and hectic day, even by fairy tale standards, and the break was welcome. This was why she liked Granny, Regina thought. The woman understood the value of quiet.

When their glasses were emptied, Granny spoke.

"He's not yours, you know," she said bluntly.

The fact that Granny's statement could apply to Henry or David was not lost on Regina. But both knew the diner owner was referring to Snow White's charming prince.

"I know," Regina replied, looking down at her hands. _Mine is dead._

"Thanks for the drink," she said as she stood and began buttoning her coat.

Granny just nodded and washed the tumblers.

Regina was nearly out the door when she decided to turn around and speak.

"Do you have any fresh rosemary you'd be willing to sell me?" she asked abruptly. "My herb garden was recently trampled by an angry mob, and, as you know, fresh herbs make all the difference." _In cooking and in magic._

Baffled, but having no reason to object to the woman's request, Granny asked "How much to do you need?"

xxxxx

_**A/N: I hope y'all aren't too mad at me for the Evil Charming roller coaster in this chapter. Hopefully the cameos by Granny and Archie made up for it a bit. Thanks for hanging in there with me, and please review! Chapters 13 and 14 will follow within the next couple days.**_


	13. True Love

_**A/N: Here's the next installment. I hope you enjoy! It's going to be a couple days before chapter 14 is up, but hopefully the longer length of this chapter will make up for the wait. Thanks again to all who review; it means a lot to me.**_

xxxxx

Regina woke up the next day determined. Working to win back Henry by trying to retrieve Emma and Snow was taxing her emotionally in ways that were unanticipated and unwelcome. If this project of hers hadn't started showing such promising results with Henry, she would scrap it all together.

As it was, her relationship with Henry was better than it had been in years, and she was really looking forward to teaching him to ride. They had such a great time at the animal shelter—her ruined shirt notwithstanding—that she was confident he would love horses almost as much as she did.

So, she couldn't abandon her effort to retrieve Ms. Swan and Snow, tempting though it may be.

But she refused to be some prince's plaything, even if he was handsome and caring. Caring? Where did that come from? She meant to think 'charming.' And she meant to think it sarcastically. Damn it.

All the more reason they needed to get Emma and Snow back, and they needed to get them back soon. Then she could make arrangements with Emma to visit Henry and eventually—maybe—she could get at least partial custody. And she would negotiate that with Ms. Swan—not him.

Yes, the sooner she reunited this perfect family—this perfect family to which she was inexorably linked through Henry, but decidedly not a part of—the sooner she did that, the sooner she could return her focus to her relationship with Henry.

And maybe she would take up riding again.

Since Daniel died—was murdered—she hadn't ridden for pleasure. In the Enchanted Forest, it was a necessary means of transportation. In Storybrooke, she avoided it all together. But maybe it was time to try to find some joy in it again. Hadn't Archie suggested she do something like that? Pick something from her childhood that she had loved and try it again?

It was quite possible that she had reached a new low—taking life advice from an insect masquerading as a man (or had he been a man masquerading as an insect?). Either way, it felt a bit pathetic.

But maybe riding would help her remember the good times with Daniel; the memories she didn't want to lose, however painful his loss made them.

She shook her head to bring herself out of her reverie and into the present. First things first. She had to deal with the Charming Prince and bring back his family. Then she could go about the business of grasping at some happiness for herself.

xxxxx

"Thank you for coming over," Regina said as David entered her foyer.

"Of course," he replied awkwardly. "I'm glad you are still willing to help."

She gave him a withering glare. "I told you when we first began this arrangement that I was doing this for Henry," she said in a clipped, business-like tone. "Your lapse in judgment has done nothing to change that." She may have responded more passionately than she was willing to admit, but he had kissed her—twice—and she was not about to let him forget it.

David nodded, properly chastised. "Still," he said, "Thank you."

_Damn him_, Regina thought. She had started this meeting so well—appropriately irritated and disdainful of him—but one genuine statement of gratitude from him and she could already feel her walls starting to crumble.

So, she refortified them and walked into her living room.

David looked around. Gone was the mess from his last visit; it must have taken her hours to clean it all up.

"I didn't use magic," she said, noticing his gaze.

"I didn't think you had," he replied sincerely.

There it was again. That genuine forthrightness that she'd only ever seen on a tall stable boy.

_Oh dear god._ Regina dropped onto the sofa, her subconscious finally having hit her with a sledgehammer. _David and Daniel. They were so similar._

She felt ill. This was not happening.

And it was definitely not happening while David was in her house.

He had already taken a cautious step toward her, worried at her sudden collapse onto the couch and the accompanying draining of color from her face. "Are you all right?" he asked, not daring to touch her after yesterday's events.

"Yes," she replied brightly and falsely. "Just a sudden drop in blood pressure. Nothing to concern yourself with." _Focus, Regina_.

"Please," she continued in a more normal tone, "have a seat."

He obediently took a seat on the opposite section of the couch. He was so determined to respect her personal space—and to not impulsively kiss her yet again—that he was almost awkwardly far away from her.

She noted this and smirked slightly before summarizing her agenda for their meeting. She knew what needed to be done, and they were going to do it. She didn't care how awkward it made them—_him_—feel.

"While you were out chasing wolves," Regina began dryly, "The town librarian told me about Rumpelstiltskin's procedure to return magic to Storybrooke."

David leaned forward. He had hardly slept the night before, wondering what Regina had learnt that made the hat unnecessary to their retrieval mission. He was awake wondering other things as well . . . but he had resolved to focus on getting his family back. Figuring out whatever he felt for Regina would have to wait.

"To make an insufferably long story short," Regina said, irritated afresh at the memory of Belle's droning, "I have good news and possibly bad news."

"The good news, as you already know, is that we probably don't need the hat to get Ms. Swan and Snow back to Storybrooke," she explained. "Rumpelstiltskin discovered a well with the waters of Lake Nostos—you've heard of it, good," she said at his eyes flickered in recognition with some other emotion that was gone too quickly for identification. "Then, undoubtedly, you've figured out where I'm going with this," she said.

"We use the waters of Lake Nostos to return to us what we lost—Emma and Snow," he confirmed.

This sounded like great news to him. But he could tell that Regina was intensely worried about something, and he would not feel easy until he knew what it was.

"The bad news?" he asked.

She studied her hands and kept her voice carefully indifferent. "Rumpel used your and Snow's true love to brew the foundation for the magic present here in Storybrooke," she glanced at him. "There are a lot of potentially dangerous consequences to that approach. For our purposes, however, what this means is that the relationship requirements for the person performing the retrieval spell are more stringent than we initially thought."

David's attention was focused completely on Regina while he waited for her to be more specific. Whatever it was, she seemed unusually unwilling to say it. "Regina," he said simply, "Just tell me."

"If you and Snow White are no longer each other's true loves, our current plan will kill you, me, Snow, and Emma. If we're lucky," Regina said.

"If we're lucky?" David asked.

"Yes," Regina confirmed. "If we're unlucky, we could demolish Storybrooke completely."

"Good thing we know that Snow and I are each other's true loves," David said, less confidently than he would have liked.

When Regina didn't respond, he said, "I woke her from a sleeping curse. That means it's true love, right?" Given the concern radiating from the one magical expert in the room, he assumed the answer to his question was 'no.' He just didn't understand how that was possible.

"That means that it _was_ true love, David," Regina said. "When you woke her from the sleeping curse, she truly loved you and you truly loved her," she fought to keep her voice from breaking. There were some afflictions too permanent for true love's kiss to heal.

More academically, she continued, "The term 'true love' is something of a misnomer in the English language. People assume that 'true love' indicates romantic, singular, and eternal love."

David looked at her curiously. Whenever she chose to share her knowledge, it was always interesting. And, in this case, extremely relevant.

"The 'romantic' requirement is clearly inaccurate," Regina said. "Otherwise, Emma's kiss to Henry would not have broken the curse."

At David's nod, she continued, "And the idea that each person can only truly love one person at a time is utterly absurd. Using parental love as an example again, if a mother truly loves one of her children, why on earth would we expect her _not_ to truly love _all_ of them?"

"And as far as 'eternal,'" Regina said more softly, "That is a possible, but not necessary, condition for true love."

David nodded his head slowly to indicate his comprehension, but he refrained from speaking to avoid imposing on the recollections clearly occupying the queen's mind.

"More mundanely, but no less powerfully," she cleared her throat as she concluded her lesson, "'True love' in the magical sense means no more and no less than that each person is willing to die for the other."

They sat in silence as David felt the impact of her words.

"Then we don't have a problem," David asserted suddenly and with conviction. "I would die for Snow."

"I know," Regina responded. And she did know. The man before her was unfailingly loyal and compassionate.

"However," Regina said, "Because Rumpelstiltskin returned magic to Storybrooke based on your and Snow's _romantic_ true love, being willing to die for her in the traditional, magical, true love sense is not enough. For you to perform a spell with Snow as the object, you must still be her romantic true love."

"Otherwise," she looked at him apologetically, "you both will die."

"But I am," he said, unconvincingly.

"You might be," Regina replied gently. _What was wrong with her? She had intended on freezing him out after his treatment of her. Instead, here she was, being sensitive to his feelings—his feelings for Snow White no less._ If Evil Villains had a union, her membership card would most certainly be revoked.

Tentatively, she continued, "But, the nature of love can change with the passage of time. And, given that this spell could kill us all, I think we should make sure before we pursue this particular plan any further."

He looked at her, surprised, "You can do that?"

"I think so," she replied with repressed excitement—she had never tried this spell before, and she was looking forward to it. "That's why I asked you to come over so early. If you agreed to this test, I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to complete it before Henry got out of school."

Despite the tumult of feeling he was experiencing at the thought of possibly no longer being in true, romantic love with Snow, he couldn't help a small smile at Regina's enthusiasm for her experiments.

"Also," she said, "I think we need Grumpy and Astrid's help."

"Could you call them?" she asked, even as the surprise at her wanting the help of a dwarf and former-fairy covered his face. "I think they would be more receptive to a request coming from you . . ."

"You're probably right about that," he said, as he stood and headed to the phone. Surprised as he was, if Regina said they needed Grumpy and Astrid's help, then he would try to make it happen.

xxxxx

"Could you get that?" Regina called to David from the kitchen. After David called Grumpy and Astrid, she had retreated to the kitchen to begin preparations for the spell, and David had stayed in the living room, supposedly to stay out of her way.

If it was easier on both of them to avoid each other, neither was willing to admit it.

"Sure," David replied and opened her front door to an uneasy Grumpy and cheerful Astrid. "Come on it," he gestured to the inside of Regina's house.

Grumpy looked him carefully in the face before saying, "You don't look like you're under a spell."

David shook his head with a small chuckle and said, "Regina's not like that anymore. She's on our side." The incongruity of his defending Regina from the very act of which he had accused her the day before was not lost on him. Grumpy's question, however, was forgivable. He didn't know Regina well enough to revise his expectations of her behavior. David, however, knew he should have thought better of her. Not for the first time in the past twenty-four hours, he felt shame rising inside him.

Grumpy still looked skeptical, but he and Astrid entered the house.

"Regina," David called. "Are you ready for us?"

"Yes—just don't touch anything!" she hollered.

Grumpy tried to hide his surprise at the queen's informality and David's answering chuckle.

"Don't worry," David responded. "I've learned my lesson." He was not in any hurry to experience animal transformation again.

"Glad to hear it," Regina replied with a teasingly skeptical expression after David led Astrid and Grumpy into the kitchen.

"How do we help Snow?" Grumpy asked them abruptly. He was uncomfortable and didn't want to be there any longer than necessary. Prince Charming being friendly with the Evil Queen was weird. He wanted to do whatever he could to help get the real queen and her daughter back and then get out of the former mayor's house. David might be convinced that this woman meant no harm, but David hadn't been the one housing Snow White while she evaded Regina's capture.

"Grumpy," Astrid chastised gently. She turned to Regina. "I don't think we've met since the curse broke. I'm Astrid," she said brightly, extending her hand. "Like David, I've chosen to continue using my Storybrooke name."

Regina was shocked. There was no trace of anger or bitterness in the former fairy's expression. Her manners worked through her shock, though, as she shook Astrid's hand, "Regina. Nice to meet you."

"Thank you both for coming over, especially on such short notice," Regina addressed them in a tone that, if not quite friendly, was sincere and welcoming. Astrid's guileless kindness encouraged her to avoid relapsing into her Mayor defense mechanism—at least for the moment.

"We have a bit of an odd request," Regina began carefully. _Prince Charming and Snow White might not be in love anymore—would you mind being the test subjects for a spell that would check that for us?_ Her preference for directness did not quite extent to that level of bluntness. She turned to David, "Maybe you should tell them." After all, it was really his news to share.

David nodded. He didn't particularly want to say the words out loud, but he appreciated Regina's sensitivity. He should explain it his way. Taking a fortifying breath, he said, "I might not be Snow's true love anymore, and we need to know for sure before we use magic to try to bring her and Emma back. Otherwise it might kill us all."

His disclosure seemed to make perfect sense to Astrid, who just nodded. Grumpy, on the other hand, was not adapting to the news very well. "What do you mean, you might not be Snow's true love anymore?" he asked in a tone that was somewhere between angry and confused.

David flinched, but before he could say anything, it was Astrid who explained. "For a love to be 'true' in the magical sense, it does not have to be eternal. It just has to be pure."

Grumpy still appeared flummoxed, but his anger had dissipated in response to the calming influence of his love.

While he absorbed Astrid's words, she turned a curious expression to Regina, "I smell rosemary. Does this have something to do with romantic true love?"

"Yes," Regina said. She was glad that the fairy did, in fact, have a sound basis in magical fundamentals. With The Blue Fairy in charge, she hadn't been confident that Astrid was well-trained. "As you have guessed, the situation is more . . . complicated than just true love. Because of the way Gold brought magic to Storybrooke, David and Snow's love must still be romantic in nature for our current plan to work."

"That really was Gold?" Grumpy asked. "I assumed you had a hand in it."

Regina's expression closed off reflexively, but she liked Astrid, and she knew that Henry loved Grumpy. Instead, then, of drawing from the wealth of belittling and mocking responses she had at her disposal, she replied neutrally, "I didn't. It was Gold."

"I would never have done that," she said earnestly.

Grumpy, surprised at her lack of rancor, didn't know how to respond.

In the meantime, Astrid had begun inspecting the ingredients for the spell that Regina had organized on the stove and countertop.

"Oh!" she exclaimed excitedly. "This is really clever!" she told Regina honestly and enthusiastically as she figured out what kind of enchantment the different mixtures indicated.

Regina blushed. It had been a long time since someone had paid her a genuine, unsolicited compliment. "Thank you," she replied, slightly embarrassed. False flattery, she was used to receiving, but kindness was unfamiliar territory.

David smiled. It was nice to see someone else appreciating Regina's talents, and his heart was filled with gratitude toward Astrid for treating Regina like a person, rather than The Evil Queen. Grumpy was a lucky man; Astrid was a unique woman.

"I understand why you called us now," Astrid said. "This is really creative, but it might not work."

Regina nodded and walked over to join Astrid at the stove. "Romance spells are always temperamental," Regina agreed, more comfortable now that they were discussing the mechanics of her magical science experiment.

"Mine never worked," Astrid said. "But I'm also not very good at magic. Even The Blue Fairy said so."

Regina was instantly angry on Astrid's behalf. How dare that Mother Superior blame Astrid for her own shortcomings as a teacher! "Blue is hardly the authority she thinks she is," Regina said dryly. In a more reassuring tone, she said, "And I think you could be great at magic."

"Really?" Astrid's eyes lit up.

Regina smiled. "Really," she affirmed. She then looked at Astrid, almost like she was looking more at the area around her. "To be completely sure, we'd have to do some tests, but it seems that Gold restored your magic as well—or at least elements of it."

Astrid's eyes danced with excitement. She'd never been good at anything. And to be told by someone as accomplished as The Queen that she could be great at magic—the thing that had always made her feel the most inadequate and inconsequential—was a dream come true.

"Today, though," Regina said, "Could you help us with this?" She gestured to the organized chaos that was her kitchen counter and stove.

Astrid nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!"

"Umm, ladies?" David asked tentatively. "I'm glad that Astrid is on board, but could one of you explain what's going on to the rest of us over here?"

Grumpy had watched his girlfriend bond with the Evil Queen in a kind of fascinated horror. But, at Regina's admonishment of Blue and encouragement of Astrid, his horror drained away. Now, he merely wore the expression of someone who had fallen through the rabbit hole to Wonderland and was calmly awaiting his return to the real world.

Astrid, with her newfound confidence, bounded over to the men. "Of course," she said. "Regina has adapted a common enchantment from our land that should allow us to infer if two people are each other's romantic true love."

Astrid continued as Regina smiled at her enthusiasm. It was nice to have someone else explain the magical details for a change. "Grumpy, this is why we had to come over. Regina assumed that we are each other's romantic true loves," Astrid blushed prettily as she elaborated for David's benefit, "And she's right."

"You bet, she's right," Grumpy said, taking Astrid's hand and kissing her fingers.

Through a beaming smile, Astrid continued to explain, "So, if she performs the spell on us, and it indicates that we are a romantic true love match, then her spell works. Otherwise, we'll have to think of something else to figure out if David and Snow are still a match."

"So what's the spell?" Grumpy asked.

Regina sighed. "This is the unpleasant part," she said. "If the spell works, it's going to hurt."

Astrid appeared unsurprised by this statement, but Grumpy looked grim and David looked concerned.

"Not for long," she assured them. "But, well, let me just tell you which spell I've adjusted, and then you'll see."

"I've altered the traditional fidelity charm frequently used by landowners and royalty in our land," she said. David flinched in understanding, but Grumpy still seemed confused.

She was going to have to be more explicit.

"In the Enchanted Forest it was common practice," she slipped into what David now thought of as her Lecture Voice, "for kings and noblemen to put their wives under fidelity enchantments upon marriage. The enchantment was intended to prevent the woman from having 'relations' outside the marriage. This would ensure that the throne or property of the man was passed down to true heirs and not the children of another man."

Her clinical tone chilled David. He was beginning to realize that Regina appeared the most detached when she was the most affected.

"The spell does not actually prevent cheating," Regina explained. "It just makes it physically painful to do so. If the wife even kisses another man, she feels an electric shock run through her body, much like the feeling of being tazered here—or like being an animal trying to cross an electric fence."

"Barbaric," Grumpy said, appalled.

"Yes, well," Regina brushed off the potential reflections this spell could elicit and focused on the task at hand. "I've changed the original spell in a few ways. Instead of tying the electric shock to the violation of a marriage contract, I've tied it to the violation of romantic true love. I didn't want to adjust the spell more than absolutely necessary—to increase the chances of it working—so it will still hurt if you kiss someone else, but I did try to turn down the voltage, so to speak."

David and Grumpy absorbed her explanation, and then Grumpy spoke. "Let me get this straight," he said. "You want to put an electric fence around either Astrid or me and then have that person kiss someone else to see if we get electrocuted."

"Essentially, yes," Regina said.

Astrid looked at Grumpy hopefully. She really wanted to help. He squeezed her hand in assurance and then directed his attention to Regina.

"Okay," he said. "On one condition."

Regina quirked an eyebrow in question.

"I'm the one that gets shocked. The spell will not be placed on Astrid."

"Grumpy," Astrid protested. "It's okay, I don't mind."

But the gruff man was firm. "This is non-negotiable," he looked at Regina.

She nodded her head in understanding, trying not to betray how sweet she thought he was for this gesture. Somehow, she didn't think Grumpy would appreciate The Evil Queen finding him adorable.

"Regina," David said. "Are you sure this is necessary?" He really didn't like the idea of one of his friends being electrocuted on his and his family's behalf.

"I'm afraid it is," Regina looked at him sympathetically. "Otherwise, when we do this spell on you, if you aren't shocked, we won't know if it is because you're not Snow's true love or if the spell just didn't work."

The Prince gave a reluctant nod, as Grumpy said, "Let's get started."

xxxxx

"I feel ridiculous," Grumpy said. "Do we have to do this, or did you just want to make me look stupid?"

Regina smirked as she put a piece of rosemary behind each of Grumpy's ears. He did look ridiculous. The herbs behind his ears were in addition to blobs of goop that had been carefully placed on his face and hands. "Oh, I'm definitely just doing this to make you look stupid," she said.

Grumpy growled his irritation, but relaxed at the sound of Astrid's laugh.

Regina stood back and admired her work. Then, seriously, she asked, "Are you ready?"

Grumpy nodded as Astrid and David moved behind Regina.

"Okay," she said. "You're going to feel like you've been suddenly dunked in cold water, so don't panic when the air rushes out of your lungs. You won't suffocate. Then, your skin will tingle briefly but intensely. It will be uncomfortable, but all of those sensations will pass in under thirty seconds."

"How do you know this?" David asked.

"I just do," she replied in a clipped tone. The cool demeanor was back—the demeanor that David recognized as her armor when she entered territory that was too personal. He shared a brief glance with the decorated dwarf, who had reached the same conclusion; Regina possessed details that only the object of such a spell could know.

Grumpy refocused on the queen, whose eyes had grown even darker as a swirl of purple grew into a ball in her right hand. As soon as it reached the size of a basketball, she lobbed it through the air. It sailed in a gentle arc before appearing to break over Grumpy's head, drizzling him in rivulets of purple magic. The dwarf shuddered, suddenly exhaled, and then appeared fine, but breathless.

"You weren't kidding about that water-dunking thing," he said with a look at Regina as he shook out his limbs. This magic stuff was weird. Satisfied that he was back to normal, he looked at his compatriots. "All right, let's test this out."

And, with that, he swooped Astrid into his arms and into a ballroom-dancing dip before kissing her passionately and releasing her.

David's jaw dropped, and Regina gave an amused smirk. Who knew that Grumpy had such moves?

Astrid giggled happily, as Grumpy suddenly spun her back out while keeping hold of her hand.

"That part worked," Grumpy said matter-of-factly, as though he hadn't just planted quite the display of affection on his lady love. "No tazer action, because I wasn't cheating."

Regina nodded, the smirk still on her lips. She liked his style.

"Now what?" Grumpy asked. "I kiss someone else and see if I get electrocuted?"

"Yep," Regina confirmed.

"That's awkward," he commented.

"Yep," Regina parroted herself.

Grumpy turned to Astrid. "Do you have a preference? I don't want to make this any weirder than it already is by picking someone you don't want me to pick."

Astrid smiled at her man. He was so thoughtful. "How about her?" she said, indicating Regina. "I don't care who it is; I know you love me. This way we can just get it over with. Also," she gave Regina a brief, but appraising, look, "I trust her."

Regina was completely surprised. She'd assumed they'd go down to the diner or something so he could kiss someone that he was at least friends with. And to hear that Astrid trusted her . . . she felt honored.

Grumpy also looked surprised, but not revolted. The past hour had done a lot to change his perspective on Regina. He shrugged. "All right with you?" he asked her.

Regina shrugged as well. "It would be the quickest way to know if the spell worked."

It was with deliberately neutral expressions that Astrid and David watched Grumpy approach Regina. David felt something clench in his gut. He suddenly didn't like this experiment at all.

Grumpy quickly placed a firm kiss on Regina's lips. No sense in drawing this bizarre situation out any longer than necessary, he thought.

As soon as their lips met, Grumpy's body went rigid as a jolt shot through him.

"Ouch," Regina said, grabbing her lips. They felt as though they'd been burned.

Astrid was immediately by Grumpy's side where he was sprawled on the floor.

"I'm all right," he assured her as he pulled himself to a sitting position. He then looked at Regina. "I guess the spell works," he said wryly.

"I guess it does," she replied.

"And you said that you turned _down _the voltage?" Grumpy asked in slight disbelief, rubbing his head.

Regina gave an apologetic grin. "I did. I'm sorry I couldn't dilute it further."

"No problem, sister," he replied. "Hey," he asked. "Just how long is this spell good for anyway?"

Regina looked thoughtful. "The original fidelity spell lasted until the death of the spouse, so I suspect that this spell will last until one of you dies, or until you fall out of love—not that that would happen," she quickly added.

"Works for me," Grumpy said. "I won't be kissing anyone else anyway," he said as he squeezed Astrid's hand.

Grumpy groaned slightly as he stood. "Is it the Prince's turn to get barbequed?" he asked.

Regina let out a light laugh, and gave David a teasing smirk. "I believe it is."

xxxxx

"I do feel ridiculous," David addressed Grumpy as Regina carefully spread the bizarre mixture on his cheekbones.

"Join the club," Grumpy replied, despite having just washed up in Regina's restroom. Except for a few rogue pieces of rosemary, he had removed all physical evidence of Regina's spell.

David was determined to focus on how absurd he felt. Maybe if he focused on the absurdity of the situation he would stop noticing how very, very close Regina's body was to his. And how her face was only millimeters away. And how she looked adorable with her brow furrowed in concentration.

Absurd. He felt absurd. Nothing else. Certainly nothing magnetic. And he certainly wasn't enjoying the recurrence of the crackling magic between them as she applied the goop to his forehead.

"Wow," Astrid said, fascinated. "What's that?"

Regina pulled back from her designs on David's face and looked at Astrid. "You can see it?"

"Not quite 'see,' " Astrid said. "More, 'detect.' It's like I just know it's there," she explained absently as she appeared to examine something that none of them could see. "It's really powerful," she commented in wonder as Regina applied the goop to David's left hand.

Regina hummed in agreement, hoping Astrid would let the subject drop. Whatever this magic was between them, she was not ready to discuss it with anyone else.

"How did this happen?" Astrid asked curiously.

"We had an . . . incident yesterday," Regina said carefully.

"Do you know what it is?" Astrid was fascinated.

"I have a theory," Regina said neutrally. "But it's not important right now," she said, stepping away from David, her goop and rosemary application complete.

Astrid seemed to accept Regina's dismissal of the topic, despite still feeling intensely curious about that crackling magic.

"Ready?" Regina asked David. At his nod, she became completely controlled and business-like, expertly lobbing the ball of purple magic over his head.

Just like Grumpy, David shuddered as the air whooshed out of his lungs.

"Ugh," he said when he caught his breath. "That was awful."

"Sorry," Regina said.

Something clicked in David's mind as he asked her, "Did you tone down this part too? When you toned down the shock?"

"Yes," Regina said.

"So, previous recipients of this spell would have experienced worse?" he asked.

She just nodded, avoiding eye contact.

Grumpy, disconcerted by Regina's sudden fragility, turned to David. "I don't know who you're kissing, but it's not Astrid," he said firmly, but not aggressively.

"Grumpy," David replied melodramatically, "you wound me!" The prince clutched at his heart as though stricken.

Astrid laughed as Grumpy said, "No way! I don't care how handsome you are—I'm not getting shocked again."

All four of them knew that this left Regina as the natural choice. "Do you mind?" David asked her quietly. After his poor show of restraint the previous day, not to mention his horrible accusation, he wouldn't blame her if she refused to allow him to kiss her.

"It's fine," she responded more tentatively than she would have liked. In a stronger voice, she continued, "Besides, the less people that know about our experiment, the better. At least for now." She was glad to see Grumpy and Astrid nodding in agreement. They didn't need Storybrooke's rumor mill going into overdrive over a few balls of purple magic and the phrase 'true love.'

Unlike the way Grumpy had kissed Regina—it had resembled the process of ripping off a band-aide—David intended to kiss her affectionately, but not passionately. After all, it wouldn't do for the two of them to lose control in front of an audience.

David gently cradled her cheek and jaw with one of his hands, determinedly leaving his other arm hanging idly by his side, as he guided her face toward his. Gently, he caressed her lips with his own, suddenly resolved to use this kiss to communicate everything she wouldn't allow him to say to her. _You are cared for. You are not alone anymore._

The usual magic pulsed between them as his lips moved over hers, but it took them a moment to realize that the electric shock never came. David hadn't been jolted like Grumpy had been.

David was not Snow's romantic true love.

He pulled back from Regina, the devastation etched onto his face. He was no longer in love with his wife.

Comprehending David's pain, Regina brought her arms up from her sides—where she had also consciously kept them during their kiss—and grasped his forearms, linking them together in a gesture of unwavering support.

David did not seem to register the contact as he stood, dumbfounded. She moved her face close to his, gazing at him intently. "It's all right," she told him quietly, but earnestly. "We can still get them back." She squeezed his arms in assurance.

As his expression turned hopeful, she gave him a soft smile. "Do you really think I would have given you hope after George destroyed the hat if I didn't have another plan?" she said with mock-criticism.

"No, I suppose not." He had the decency to look ashamed for having doubted her.

"Good," she said as the spark returned to his eyes. Then, suddenly recollecting that they were not alone, she briefly squeezed his arms again before releasing him and stepping away to a more socially-acceptable distance.

Bereft of her contact, but comprehending why she stepped away, David turned to face Grumpy and Astrid. "I guess now we know," he said awkwardly. "If you two could keep this to yourselves . . . I want to be able to tell Snow myself when she gets back."

"No problem," Grumpy assured him, as Astrid nodded her agreement. "We won't say anything."

"We should be heading out though," Astrid added. It had not escaped her or Grumpy's attention that there was more between the charming prince and the not-so-evil queen than a mere working relationship. The level of trust and understanding in their treatment of each other demonstrated mutual respect and strong friendship.

And . . . Their kiss . . . it seemed to be deliberately dispassionate, as though both David and Regina had been restraining themselves. As carefully passionless as the kiss had been, though, the tenderness they expressed was unmistakable.

And then there was the magic that hummed between them . . . .

She didn't need her experience as Nova the Fairy to identify the symptoms before her. She knew why the Prince was no longer Snow White's true love.

He was now someone else's.

xxxxx

_**A/N: Hopefully this made up for the wait and for chapter 12. As always, I would love to know what you think, and we're getting close to Zombie Daniel's appearance! Thanks for reading!**_


	14. The Stables

_**A/N: I wanted to get this up before the new episode tonight, so this chapter is not as well proofed as I would like. I have been replacing prior chapters as I notice typos/errors that were previously missed, so, if you'd like something corrected, just let me know (review or PM), and I'll fix it. I hope you like this installment.**_

xxxxx

_Astrid was pretty sure that she understood why the Prince was no longer Snow White's true love._

_He was now someone else's._

Regina sank onto the couch and held her head in her hands. She was completely exhausted. Ever since Emma Swan had come to town in that little yellow bug of hers, she had been on a constant rollercoaster of emotion, scheming, and action.

And, somehow, Emma Swan falling through a hat and out of Storybrooke had made Regina's life more hectic. That seemed backwards, somehow.

But here she was, completely drained.

The panic that had thudded against the inside of her skull in the library last night had faded into a bone-numbing sense of dread.

It was time to face the implications of Rumpelstiltskin's process for returning to magic to Storybrooke for their retrieval operation.

And she didn't want to.

"Regina," James asked, concerned with her sudden collapse onto the sofa. "What's wrong?"

Regina allowed herself a deep sigh before pulling herself up into a more traditional seated position.

"As we discussed," she began, "since you are no longer Snow's romantic true love, you cannot perform the enchantment to call Ms. Swan and Snow home."

David nodded in understanding, waiting for the additional bad news of which Regina's body language forewarned him.

"Which means," she continued, "we need someone else that has close personal relationships with both of them to do the spell." She looked at him, waiting for him to reach the inevitable conclusion.

"Henry," he stated unhappily.

"Henry," she confirmed. "He's a blood relation to both of them, and we know that Emma truly loves him, since her kiss broke the curse. He's the only option." She knew that the prince didn't need her explanation, but she felt compelled to say the words out loud, if only to convince herself that involving Henry was necessary.

David sat down beside her. "There has to be another way," he said. Since the curse broke, he and Regina had shared a primary, common goal: to keep Henry away from magic. Neither of them wanted him subjected to the corrupting influence that accompanied such power or the risks and costs that came with wielding magic.

David's eyes lit up with excitement as he thought of an alternative. "What if I performed the spell to bring Emma back?" he asked. "And then she performed the spell to bring Snow back?"

Regina gave him a small smile for his effort. "I thought about that," she said. "It might work, but we really aren't sure how much power we are going to need to do each spell, and we don't know what unintended consequences we might cause with this magic. We would run the risk of bringing Emma back and not being able to summon the resources or deal with the magical 'price' to retrieve Snow as well."

She shook her head slowly. "The cost of performing magic isn't linear," she explained. "Performing one spell on two people is easier than performing the same spell once on two different people."

"Our best chance," she said somberly, "is for Henry to do the magic."

David suddenly stood and began to pace around the room. There had to be another way. He looked at Regina, hoping she would have another ingenious idea that would allow them to keep Henry far, far away from magic. For the first time in their history, however, the queen looked small to him.

Once upon a time, the brittle appearance of this woman would have been a source of triumph.

Now, the smallness and stillness of Regina filled him with a feeling he recognized as preceding panic.

He paced faster.

Abruptly, he stopped and stood in front of her. "We can't do it."

Regina looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We can't do it," David said. "We can't put Henry in danger like this. It's too risky, and it's too much pressure."

Regina was dumbfounded. Was he suggesting what she thought he was suggesting?

"What happens if Henry does the spell, and Emma and Snow don't come back?" David asked rhetorically. "He will be crushed."

"And what happens if Henry does the spell, and Emma and Snow _do_ come back, but the force of the magic kills him?" David continued. "Or, what if everyone survives, but the magic corrupts him? What if this is the path that causes him to become the next Dark One?"

A shudder went down Regina's spine. These were the scenarios that had haunted her since she had been chained to Belle in the library.

She ran her hands through her hair and looked up at the resolute prince.

"Do you understand what you're saying?" she asked him.

David nodded with restrained emotion. "We don't do the spell," he said.

"We leave them in the Enchanted Forest," Regina said back to him.

He dropped into a seated position next to her. "We have faith that they will find a way back to us."

Regina looked at the man beside her. The man who would risk never seeing his wife or daughter again to spare his grandson possible anguish, darkness, or death.

It was her turn to pace.

Wasn't this what she wanted? To _try_ to retrieve Ms. Swan and Emma only to be thwarted by something outside her control? To look like she was one of the "good guys," while regaining Henry's affection and attention?

And the thought of introducing Henry to magic made her physically ill. It hadn't been too long ago that she had tried to tempt him with it, but she felt light years removed from that moment. And she refused to go back. Henry did not want to be her, and she quite agreed with him.

_So why, then, wasn't she agreeing with David and declaring Operation Boomerang over?_

Grasping at a non-decision, she returned to her spot beside David and took his hand in hers, somewhat comforted by the familiar magical hum.

"Let's not decide this today," she said in a firm, but gentle voice. She pre-empted his protest by continuing, "My concern is that Henry will resent us making this decision for him."

She shook her head to silence his impending interruption. "If we don't tell him, someone else, probably Gold, will," she said sadly. "Something like this does not stay a secret."

"My concern," she concluded, "is that, we don't tell him, but Gold does. And Rumpel's first priority will be Rumpel, and not Henry. He could manipulate Henry into doing something more dangerous—and without our help and protection."

She looked at David, resignation in her eyes, "If Henry attempts this, I want him to attempt it with us. Not without us."

David nodded in understanding. "It's still too dangerous," he said, "but we can resume this argument tomorrow." He flashed her his Charming smile.

"Now," he said, "Onto happier topics."

"I am deeply sorry for behaving like such a complete ass yesterday," he said.

She couldn't help but let out a laugh at his choice of a "happier" topic. She had no intention of letting him off easy though.

"You should be," she said, but any anger that once would have accompanied those words had melted away—against her will—sometime during the course of the morning. His accusation still stung, but only because it served to remind her just how little she deserved his trust, given her past transgressions.

"I am," he affirmed seriously, standing. It was time to give them both some space. "Would you like to join Henry and I at Granny's for dinner later? I know you two are going to the stables tomorrow, but I think he'd like to see you sooner. He won't say so, but he'd feel better seeing that you're safe. Part of him seems worried that George's mob was really after you, and not Ruby."

"Of course," Regina said, gratified that her son cared about her safety and grateful that David was not denying them access to each other. Not that he would be able to stop her if she wanted to see Henry. No one would. But this situation was certainly more pleasant than the alternative.

"Seven 'o'clock," he said.

At her nod, he gave a brief smile and let himself out.

When the door shut, Regina flopped back onto the couch in an uncharacteristically un-lady-like manner. This whole playing-nicely-with-others strategy for redemption with Henry was taking its toll on her patience and energy. She was remembering why she had resorted to brute power in the past. In many ways, it was more efficient. Certainly quicker. Definitely the best short term strategy.

A long-term relationship with her son was the goal, however, so she would continue with the frustrating process of winning cooperation from others.

That gave her a few hours to think of the best way to convince David that, if she, Henry's mother, thought Henry should do this spell, then so should he. After all, her only interest in the matter was Henry. David was the one with a conflict of interest.

And she was pretty confident that she knew how to minimize Henry's risk during the spell.

Which begged the question: why wasn't she using a short-term strategy?

xxxxx

As usual, Regina felt worse rather than better after her session with Archie.

A few days ago when she had snapped this observation at him, he had said something about having to work through all the negativity before being able to move on.

She supposed this was one of those short-term/long-term conundrums again.

She was losing patience with them. She wanted to feel better _now_, not later. That's why she was doing all of these ridiculous things—like letting a cricket chirp at her for an hour at a time each day—so she could feel better now.

_Time to shake these thoughts off,_ Regina told herself as she prepared to enter the diner. She didn't want to spoil her time with her son. _Dinner with her son_—that was a happier thought.

Even if David had to be there too. The Prince was a complicating factor with which she could do without. Her life was complicated enough.

Despite this rational assessment, she felt lighter as soon as David smiled at her in greeting from across the diner. She unintentionally answered his smile with one of her own and crossed the diner to the booth.

She was about to ask David where Henry was, when she noticed him talking animatedly with Jefferson and Grace at an opposite table.

At her sudden tensing, David lightly shook her hand to regain her attention. "He'll be fine."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at his platitude.

"Really," he said. "Apparently Henry helped reunite them."

Regina wasn't sure how to respond to this piece of information but decided that it did indicate that Henry, indeed, was not in any danger. Her protective instincts appeased, she took a seat across from David.

"I know we said we'd sleep on it," David said, "But I'm confused."

Regina quirked her eyebrow in a silent question. Her brow line was working overtime with these people, but at least it saved her the trouble of speaking.

"How does a woman that thinks talking to someone in a diner is too dangerous to be permissible also think that performing highly powerful magic isn't?"

"You've oversimplified both sets of circumstances," Regina replied calmly. "I think Henry talking to a man who loathes me without my protection is dangerous, just as I would think him performing magic without my protection is dangerous."

David was once again curious about Regina's history—why would Jefferson have any more or less reason to hate her than anyone else? Like so many other questions he had regarding her past, though, he set it aside. Now was not the time.

"I never would have suggested we ask Henry about performing this spell if I didn't think I could minimize or re-allocate the risk to which he would typically be exposed," she asserted.

David was receptive, but unconvinced. "How?"

Regina scanned the crowded diner. "This is not the appropriate venue to get into details, but I'm confident that the risk to Henry will be minimal." Her gaze then turned more earnest. "The success of my idea, however, hinges on Henry's emotional stability."

"Children performing magic is particularly dangerous for one simple reason," Regina explained quickly. "Their tendency toward quick, strong shifts of mood and attention can 'confuse' their magic and create unintended consequences. In our case, the unintended consequence that we must prevent is Henry pulling himself through dimensions to Snow and Ms. Swan in the Enchanted Forest rather than bringing them back here."

David looked alarmed at this possibility. How could Regina think this was a good idea?

"Which means we need to perform additional magic to 'anchor' Henry to Storybrooke," Regina finished quickly as Henry bounded over to the table.

"Mom!" he exclaimed. He hadn't noticed her until Grace pointed her out. He had been facing the other direction at their table.

"Henry," she smiled broadly.

"We'll discuss this tomorrow," David told Regina in a mildly authoritative voice.

She just gave a brief nod, savoring the hug from her son, as Henry asked, "Discuss what?"

"How many times you fall off your horse," David teased.

Instantly excited, Henry turned to Regina from his seat next to her, "Am I really going to get to ride?"

"Maybe," Regina said. "We'll have to see how you and your horse get along first."

At Henry's disappointed look, she said, "Don't you think the horse should have some say in whether you ride him?"

"I guess so," Henry said, still a bit sulkily. Then, he suddenly brightened, "The horse will like me. I'm sure of it. I just know he'll let me ride him."

Neither David nor Regina could suppress their smiles at Henry's determination and conviction. He really was a great kid. They couldn't help but feel that maybe they had each done something right.

xxxxx

Ruby was observing the threesome with interest. She had been too distracted during Wolfstime to notice the distinct absence of antagonism between the prince and the queen. When Belle approached her the day after, though, asking if the two were together, Ruby had vehemently denied it. Charming was Snow's husband and true love. Regina had offered to help him get Snow and Emma back. End of story.

But watching them now as they shared a smile about a story Henry was telling, she had to admit that, if she hadn't known who they were, she would have thought they were a family. A happy family.

Her compulsion to meddle was strong. No one would steal her best friend's man on her watch!

But she knew all too well the dangers of interfering in matters of the heart. Snow, more than anyone, had taught her that.

Ruby sighed. She suspected her friend would need her more than ever when she returned to Storybrooke.

xxxxx

Henry was so excited. He was really enjoying his knight lessons. Ruby was a really good tracker, obviously; she was a wolf. And it was really cool learning from her since she had taught his grandmother some of the same stuff when they were hiding out in the Enchanted Forest.

And learning to swordfight from his grandfather Prince Charming was awesome, even if it was really hard work. David kept making him repeat the same basic motions over and over. It made his arms tired and his mind bored. But still. He was learning to swordfight from a real life hero! A real life hero that he was related to!

And today—finally—he was going to start learning to ride a horse! When Gramps first told him that he could take riding lessons from his mom, he was worried. His mom was really smart and sneaky. What if this was some kind of trick to take him back or keep Snow and Emma away?

But then when Ruby dropped him off earlier that week for dinner at her house and David was a toad, and she taught him how to catch him and change him back—and he saw what a mess the house was; their house was never messy at all! He knew then that she was telling the truth. She was really trying to help.

He was happy that his mom was trying to help. Maybe she didn't have to be evil. Maybe she could be good. And if they needed magic to get his mom and Snow back, then his mom was the one to help. Was it okay to call them both his mom? Because Emma was his mom, but she was also Emma; she hadn't wanted to be his mom at first. But his mom was his mom, even if he didn't always believed that she loved him. He was starting to believe what she said about not knowing how to love very well. And David seemed to think she was telling the truth about that. Though he always got really quiet when Henry asked what would make Regina not know how to love.

He was glad that he believed his mom. Because now he was at the stables, brushing his horse's coat, while she went to let the stablehand know that they were there. He didn't know why the stablehand should care, but his mom seemed to think it was important, and she was usually right about that stuff.

It was really cool to see his mom around horses. Just like with the other animals at the shelter, she seemed to really like them, and they seemed to really like her. It was too bad the other people in the town couldn't see her this way. Maybe then they would give her a second chance. Like David.

"Hi, Horse," Henry said. His mom had said that he would know the horse's name when the horse wanted him to know it. He wasn't sure how that made sense, but her horse seemed to like her, so he believed her. "Do you have anything you want to tell me?" he asked his horse. The horse could tell him its name whenever, but he thought the horse should go ahead and tell him that it was okay to go for a ride.

Then, all of a sudden, all of the horses started panicking. His threw him aside and bolted from the stall. Henry was instantly scared. Was his mother back and evil? Is that what scared the horses? Had Ruby shown up somehow in her wolf form?

Before Henry could sort through his fears, a man was standing in the doorway. He thought he and his mom and the stablehand were the only ones there that morning, and this guy didn't look like he was at work. He looked . . . off. And he was bleeding!

"Are you okay?" Henry asked. This man made him scared, but knights helped people even when they were scared. "Let me help you." As Henry held his hand out, the man panicked and shoved him down. Henry clawed at the ground and clutched some dirt and hay in his grip, ready to throw into the man's eyes, when he heard his mom call, "Henry?"

The man, who had been closing in on him, suddenly stopped and turned toward the sound of her voice.

"In here!" Henry yelled. "Be careful!"

But his mother was around the corner and at the doorway of the stall before he could tell her anything else.

She was breathing hard from running—she must have seen his bolted horse or something and gotten worried—but the color drained from her face when she saw the man.

His mother didn't look like his mother anymore. She looked frightened and hopeful. It scared him.

"Daniel?" she said as she took a step closer to the strange man. Her voice sounded weird. And how did she know his name?

Carefully, Henry stood back up, but kept the dirt in his hand.

His movement startled Daniel's attention from Regina, and he lunged at Henry again.

Regina, snapped out of her shock by the threat to her son, launched herself at her fiancé, knocking them both to the ground and leaving the doorway clear.

"Run!" she told Henry. "Now!" she ordered when he hesitated.

Scared, and knowing his mom could resort to magic, Henry ran from the stall.

But he didn't want to run too far away—what if his mother needed him after all? He ducked into the next stall and found a crack between the slats to peer through. Now he could see and hear in case his mom needed him.

And maybe she did! Maybe he shouldn't have left! The man had his mother pinned on the ground with his hands around her throat. He was strangling her! Just as he was about to run back to help, he heard her whisper, "Daniel . . . I love you . . .".

Recognition dawned on the man's face, and he loosened his hold on his mother's throat. "Regina?" he asked, confused.

Regina attempted to nod, but Daniel's hands were still closed around her throat. "Yes, Daniel, it's me."

Henry was transfixed. He couldn't make sense of the scene before him, but he was intent on absorbing every detail. He would figure it out later. Maybe his book could help.

Daniel moved his hands from his mother's throat to caress her face. "What's happened to you, my heart?"

Tears escaped his mother's eyes. "You were gone," her voice cracked. She pulled herself to a sitting position, an expression of joy and wonderment on her face. "But now you're here," she said, as she hugged him.

The man that had just been strangling her held her closely, as though she were the most precious creature in the world.

After a moment, Daniel pulled back and looked his mother in the face. "I can't stay."

Instantly distressed, Regina protested, "Daniel, no." She clutched him harder. "I can't lose you again," she said desperately.

"Yes, you can, my heart," he replied. "You have the greatest capacity to love of anyone I have ever known."

A humorless laugh escaped his mother.

"Regina, whatever has happened to me . . . I can't stay. There's something awful in me, and it's starting to win." He stood and pulled completely from her embrace. "Once it comes back, I don't think I'll be able to."

"Daniel, no," Regina protested as she reluctantly stood.

"You need to run," he told her. "And then you need to find a way to stop me. So I don't hurt anyone."

"But I love you," she said.

"And I love you," he said, moving forward to kiss her briefly. "So love again," he told her earnestly, before retreating from the stall.

When his mother followed Daniel out of the stall, Henry changed his position to peer out of his stall into the larger, more open space.

The man saw him, and his face contorted as though two beasts were fighting inside his body. Then, the struggle was over, and the man looked enraged.

The man lunged at Henry, and Henry moved back into the stall.

But the expected attack never came. Before the man's right foot left the ground, he had been frozen in place. Henry couldn't believe it. It looked like a DVD that had been paused. No person should be able to stay in that position.

Henry stood and walked toward the frozen man slowly, as his mother, completely focused on the frozen man, stood facing Daniel.

Henry watched. He was so confused and fascinated. But he felt so sad as he heard his mother, tears trailing down her cheeks, whisper "Goodbye."

Then she waved her hand slowly, and the frozen man seemed to dissolve into thin air.

If Henry hadn't been so worried for his mother, he would have thought it was really cool.

Regina stared at the now-empty space for a moment. Then a shudder went through her body.

She turned to look at Henry. Her blank eyes made him feel more worried. "Are you all right?" she asked him.

Henry nodded.

"Good," she said. Then, without warning, she sank to the floor, her hand falling to the spot where Daniel had last stood.

"Mom?" Henry asked.

But it was like his mom wasn't there anymore. Her eyes gazed, apparently unseeing, at the dirt floor where her hand rested.

"Mom!" Henry yelled at her, and he shook her shoulder.

Still, he received no response.

He kept his hand on her shoulder—maybe it would be like when David could hear Mary Margaret when he was in his coma—maybe, somehow, his mother still knew he was there.

David! Henry wanted to smack himself on the forehead. Wasn't this the exact reason his mother had given him a cell phone? Okay, so maybe a stable attack by a man-monster was not the exact reason she had given him when she gave him the phone, but this was definitely an emergency.

"Henry!" he heard his grandfather's worried voice after only one ring.

"Gramps!" Henry replied.

"Are you okay? Where are you? What's going on?"

Henry rolled his eyes. When would grown-ups realize that they needed to pause between questions if they wanted any answers?

"Gramps!" Henry interjected forcefully. Being raised by Regina had taught him how to command attention when he wanted it. "I am okay. But you need to come to the stables now." He spoke the last sentence clearly and calmly, but with an air of authority. It was the tone his mother used right before she arched her eyebrow. The eyebrow that let him know if he didn't get his backpack off the stairs, he was going to be on dish duty for a week.

"There was a man here," Henry explained. "He was fine, and then he wasn't, and Mom had to use magic to stop him. We're not injured, but something's wrong with Mom."

Now that Henry had done his job and made sure help was on the way, the shock of the day was passing and the fear was creeping in. "Something's wrong, Grandpa," he started to sniffle. "She won't talk, or move. I don't even think she knows I'm here." The tears were falling thick and fast now.

"It's all right, Henry," David said. "I'm on my way. I'm setting the phone down while I drive, but I'm going to leave it on speaker until I get there. It'll be okay."

xxxxx

David drove almost directly into the stables. He threw the truck into park and leapt from the car, so close to the building that he didn't have time to accelerate into a full run before he was already inside.

He took in the scene. Regina was sitting, slumped, on the dirt in the middle of the walkway, and Henry was curled up beside her, hugging her with his eyes tightly closed, seemingly to will her back to him.

"Henry," David called, as he trotted over to the pair. Henry's eyes snapped open in response, but he didn't move from his mother's side.

"She still hasn't moved," the boy said quietly.

David ruffled his hair, "It's going to be okay, kiddo," he said. It appeared that Henry's report on the phone was accurate. He didn't see any signs of blood, so physical injury was unlikely to be an immediate issue. From the looks of things, though, one could hardly declare that Regina was all right.

"Regina," he tried, but was unsurprised when she didn't appear to hear him. If she wasn't reacting to Henry, she was unlikely to react to anyone.

He had the sudden urge to punch Whale—again. The injured doctor had been less than forthcoming about the events that had cost him his arm, and the prince doubted that mere coincidence was responsible for the timing of the events in the stables.

"Did she know him?" David asked Henry.

"I think so," Henry said, unsure how much of his eavesdropping he should share with his grandfather. His mother must have kept the man a secret for a reason, and it seemed like not all of her reasons were evil. Maybe he should let her decide how much she wanted people to know.

"Did she kill him?" David asked.

"I think so," Henry said. "She froze him in place, and then waved her hand, and it looked like he disintegrated or something."

David nodded grimly in understanding. Whale had been going on and on about the Queen owing him a favor, but it appeared the doctor's plan had misfired in a terrible fashion.

David sighed. If his hypothesized reconstruction of the day's events was correct, then it might be kinder to allow Regina to remain catatonic for a bit. The return to reality was going to be harsh.

He rubbed his hand over his face. Unfortunately, Henry was pretty freaked out, and plenty of the townspeople were still out for Regina's head. Sooner or later the stablehand was going to find the last of the bolted horses and bring them back in here. It wouldn't do for him to see the Evil Queen so vulnerable. It might encourage people to exploit the opportunity, especially with Snow and Emma gone.

Reluctantly, he stood near Regina's hand and squatted in front of her. "Regina," he whispered. "Henry and I need you to come back now."

No response.

He placed two fingers under her chin to align her unfocused eyes with his.

At the spark of magic that ignited with his touch, however, she flinched and jerked back into reality.

"David?" she asked, confused. Feeling something squeeze around her waist, she looked down, "Henry?"

She kissed the top of his head, bewildered at why her son was so upset and the prince was looking her over with such an assessing, concerned gaze.

"It's all right," she assured Henry, as she struggled to a standing position. Why were her legs so stiff?

"Henry," David said. "Why don't you go out to the truck and make room for you and your mom? We'll come back for her car later."

Henry was looking worriedly at his mother, but he nodded. David would help.

After the barn door shut behind Henry, Regina asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

David wasn't sure what to do. First, she had gone catatonic, and now her brain had performed some kind of post-traumatic selective amnesia on her. Once again, he wondered if that wasn't for the best.

Well-adjusted people did not cast dark curses on entire populations of people. And Regina had seemed to be doing well lately, working to redeem herself for Henry. He didn't want today's events to undo all of her progress.

He didn't want Whale's foolishness to cause the return of The Evil Queen.

He didn't want that for Henry. He didn't want that for the people of Storybrooke. And he didn't want that for Regina. She deserved better.

Having nearly crashed his car when his memories returned, however, he didn't want hers to re-emerge at an inopportune time. Maybe, with Henry just outside, this was as good a time as any to try to jog her memory. And maybe he could talk her into accepting some support from him or from Archie.

David cautiously took a step into her personal bubble. "How did riding with Henry go?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion and the beginnings of irritation. Why wasn't he answering her question? "We haven't gone yet," she said. "We only just got here."

"Look at your watch," David instructed.

Fully irritated at being ordered around like a child, Regina let out a huff of frustration, but humored him nonetheless. "This can't be right," she looked at David, her irritation replaced with worry at the time displayed.

"Tell me what happened," Regina demanded. "How did I lose an hour of my life?"

At her aggressive stance, David became worried that his concern over the re-emergence of the Evil Queen was not misplaced.

Charming, however, was a man of decisive action. He strode forward and pulled a shocked Regina into a sudden, fierce hug, the magic between them humming once more.

Holding her firmly, even as she was stiff and tense in his arms, he whispered in her ear, "Allow yourself to remember, Regina." He could feel her shock fading from her stance as he continued, "And, when you do, please remember that Henry loves you. Remember that Henry loves you and needs you to be his mother, and not the Evil Queen."

"Don't leave us," he pleaded.

Regina's eyes were squeezed shut, and her arms moved upwards to return the prince's hug without her brain's conscious permission.

This caring embrace. The stables. This was all too familiar. It reminded her too much of Daniel.

_Daniel._

_Oh god._

The floodgates opened, and Regina began sobbing uncontrollably in David's arms, sinking to the floor once again. Only this time, she wasn't alone. David sank to the floor with her, not releasing her.

He had no comforting words to offer—no platitudes. He just held her tightly to his chest and rocked her as she cried through what he suspected was decades and decades of pain.

xxxxx

_**A/N: I hope I did Daniel justice, and I hope Henry's POV worked for y'all. I'd love to know what you think, and I'm already working on chapter 15, though it might take a few days for me to get it finished. Hopefully this isn't too brutal of a cliffhanger for you.**_


	15. Medical Attention

_**A/N: This update is shorter than the past couple, but I wound up needing to break this chapter into multiple parts. Also, shorter chapters mean faster updates for y'all.**_

_**Quick policy note now that the show has restarted (yay!): I won't have any spoilers for episodes after Queen of Hearts in this story (even in the authors notes) just in case people haven't seen them yet. For those that have, any resemblance in this story to the Episodes 2x10 and beyond is the result on me picking up on the OUaT writers' superb foreshadowing (or coincidence).**_

xxxxx

Henry was relieved when his mother and David finally emerged from the stables. It hadn't taken him very long to clear off the middle seat of the truck so that all three of them would fit, but he had obeyed David's unspoken request to stay outside anyway. He had just been considering going in to check on them, though, so he was glad they were finally outside.

His mom looked back to normal. Her movement looked right, even though she seemed exhausted and kind of looked like she was carrying something heavy, even though she wasn't holding anything. And she and David appeared to be arguing about something.

"You need to see a doctor, Regina," David insisted.

"No, I don't," she replied resolutely.

"Look in the mirror," David challenged her, indicating the side mirror on his truck. "Look at your neck, and tell me that you wouldn't have Henry hospitalized if any part of him, let alone his neck, looked like that."

Henry, while alarmed at the red welts that circled his mother's pale neck, felt better when his mother glared at his grandfather. If she was glaring like that, she was going to be fine. Especially since it wasn't her Evil Queen glare. It was the glare she only used on him and David. The glare where she just wanted to seem mad, but really wasn't.

Regina huffed in annoyance as she examined her neck in the reflection. Looks like she would be spending the next ten days in turtlenecks. Even her high-end concealer was not going to be able to cover this, especially when the red turned to purple in a few days. She would have to go shopping. She only owned one or two turtlenecks, and she was pretty sure they were both blue. Damn it.

She abruptly turned to David. "I refuse to see Whale."

David nodded. "Just as well. He's in the hospital."

Regina quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Someone ripped his arm off," David said.

"Good," she replied tersely.

David took a step closer to her. "You know what he did?"

Regina seethed with repressed rage, "Yes." She then looked at Henry, forced herself to calm down, and looked back at David. Her message was clear: _No more discussion in front of my son._

David nodded. "Let's get going," he said, opening the passenger door for Regina.

"I can drive myself. I'm not an invalid," she said.

David rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Regina, just get in."

Seeing that Henry was already buckled up in the truck and knowing she could always jog or walk back to retrieve her car, she gave another huff of annoyance and climbed onto the seat.

"Thank you," David said with exaggerated patience, shutting the door and walking around to the driver's side.

Instead of starting the car immediately, however, he picked up his phone to make a call.

"Grumpy?" he said. "Hey, it's David."

The prince gave a small chuckle at the dwarf's reply. "Yeah, everything's fine. No need to worry, but I do need a favor. Would you mind if I dropped Henry off in a few minutes to spend the night at your place?"

"Yeah," David continued after another inaudible reply from Grumpy. "I'll fill you in later. Regina and I just have some details to go over, and we're not sure how long it's going to take."

"Thanks, Grumpy," David said. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"I don't need a babysitter," Regina stated as soon as David hung up the phone and turned the key in the ignition.

"I know," he replied. "You're going to have one anyway."

Regina was about to protest when she her son interjected.

"Please, Mom," Henry pleaded. "I don't want you to be alone."

Regina sighed in resignation, and the insufferable prince had the gall to smirk. He knew she wouldn't refuse Henry.

She conceded, but she didn't have to like it. "Fine," she said, reaching around Henry to smack David lightly on the arm. She would have hit him harder, but he was driving, and her son was in the car.

xxxxx

"Thanks again, Grumpy, Astrid," David called as he climbed back in the truck. He and Regina had reached the same unspoken conclusion that she should remain in the car when they dropped off Henry. The injuries to her neck were obvious, and explanations were best avoided.

Henry gave them both one last wave before disappearing into the house with Grumpy and Astrid. He didn't like that he couldn't be with his mom right now, but David seemed to know how to take care of her.

"Where are we going?" Regina asked. David was driving into the center of town.

"To have your neck looked at," he said, avoiding her gaze by keeping his eyes steadily focused on the road.

"At your own risk, Charming," Regina replied snidely.

"You're injured," he insisted. "You need medical attention."

"I'm also an extremely powerful and extremely angry sorceress," Regina snapped. "The last time I was this angry, I put you in a twenty-eight year coma. I'm trying really, really hard not to do anything so horrible again, but I am sorely tempted."

Her anger transitioned into pleading and she placed her hand lightly on David's arm, their familiar magic calming her somewhat, as she asked, "Please, please help me _not_ murder Whale." She grasped his arm a little tighter. "Because I really want to," she stated, dropping her hand.

She then looked out the window, and it was with the tone that David recognized from the Evil Queen that he next heard her say, "The good doctor, with ways so much more powerful than our mere magic, does dearly deserve it." Her voice dripped with venom, sarcasm, and a history that he didn't think he wanted to understand. An ominous shiver ran down his spine.

Okay. They wouldn't go to the hospital.

xxxxx

"Granny's?" she asked incredulously as he put the car in park. "What, have you been spending so much time with Henry that you think a chocolate milk shake will heal my wounds?"

"No," David responded as he exited the car and walked around to open her door. Though he made a habit of opening doors for women and anyone with their hands full, in this case, it was less of a chivalrous gesture and more of a nonverbal insistence that she get out of the car.

"Granny is the best non-doctor I know at assessing and treating injuries," he told her. She was still buckled into the passenger seat.

He reached across her and released her seat belt. "Now, get out," he directed. "Please."

Seeing that she was still debating whether to argue with him, he said, "I'm willing to spring for that chocolate shake, if you'd like to give that a try too." The stubborn set of his chin and his hands on his hips clearly demonstrated that resistance would be futile.

Noting this, Regina slowly and deliberately exited the car and stepped in front of him in her full Evil Queen posture. "That won't be necessary," she said, turning and heading toward the diner. "I'm more of a root beer float kind of girl," she said matter-of-factly.

David just smiled, shook his head, and followed her into the diner.

He walked up behind her and placed his hand at the small of her back. Even without the familiar magical current, she would have known it was him. He leaned forward over her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Why don't you find us a table in the back while I find Granny?"

Immediately understanding the soundness of his logic, Regina nodded and set off for an available booth in the back. She moved as quickly as she could without drawing more attention to herself. She wasn't eager for the town to notice her injuries and begin to gossip.

She was even less eager to tell them the truth.

Anger flashed through her. They didn't know her. They didn't care about her. And most of them never even knew Daniel existed. She wasn't about to let them mangle his memory by calling him some kind of monster.

She sat down in the booth as anger coursed through her veins. A monster created by Whale.

_That man would pay._

Only he wouldn't. Because she had made a promise to do better for Henry.

"_You have the greatest capacity to love of anyone I have ever known."_

Daniel's words echoed in her mind, and her grief swirled with her anger. All she wanted was to lash out; to radiate her pain in a silent, tangible scream. Anything to propel it out of her. Feeling this way made her feel like she was splitting apart.

"Regina," she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, and she looked up irrationally expecting to see Daniel.

But the kind eyes were the wrong color.

xxxxx

_**A/N: I hope I did justice to post-Daniel Regina—but don't worry, I'm not finished with her coping yet! As always, reviews are treasured.**_


	16. Painkiller

_**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! They are very helpful and motivating.**_

xxxxx

David had observed the happy, hopeful look on Regina's face when she first looked at him from the diner booth, but he also noticed that it melted away after a mere moment. If her sobs in the stables hadn't convinced him, that look of near-joy had.

She loved the man she'd killed that day.

His heart ached for her. But she was unlikely to accept any further comfort from him now, especially in public.

"Granny's ready for you in the back," he said gently, indicating a door bearing a sign labeled "Employees Only."

She nodded and followed him through the door and down a narrow hallway to a small back office. _Where Granny must do the books_, Regina surmised.

Granny was ready and waiting for them with her first aid kit open on the desk, so David closed the door behind them. Though not typically one for small spaces, Regina appreciated the privacy—even as her instincts told her to bolt.

Regina was once again reminded of why she liked Granny. The older woman only allowed her shock at the violence of Regina's injuries to show for a moment before her face became a mask of clinical detachment. No nonsense . . . or prying questions. After a glance at her neck, Granny thrust a bottle of painkillers into Regina's hand.

"Here," she said. "As soon as the shock wears off, your throat is going to hurt like the dickens."

Regina smirked in agreement, but handed the bottle back. "No, thank you," she said firmly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Granny replied. "You should probably be on a prescription painkiller."

Regina just looked at Granny, the humorless smirk lingering on her face. "You're probably right," Regina said. "But I plan on getting completely and thoroughly drunk this afternoon, and painkillers interact with alcohol."

_The pain in my neck is not the pain I'm trying to stop._

Granny gave Regina a brief nod in understanding. "Please, sit," she said, pointing to her desk chair.

"This is completely unnecessary," Regina grumbled, more to David than to Granny, but she sat down anyway. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner she could start drinking.

David was a bit concerned at this turn of events. He had expected Regina to punish him for his unwanted "babysitting," but he hadn't expected this. He had trouble getting Sober Regina in and out of his truck; he found it hard to believe it would go better with Drunk Regina.

Besides, as she had so aptly put it, she was very powerful and very angry. Very drunk did not seem like a good addition to that combination.

"Well," Granny stated, stepping back from Regina, who was rolling her neck after twisting it in various directions during Granny's inspection. "She can talk, swallow, and move normally, so she seems to be just fine."

"I am here," Regina said, irritated at Granny's use of the third person.

"I know," Granny said. "But this charade was clearly more for his benefit than yours."

Regina gave Granny a small smile at that, "Fair enough."

"Can't say I recommend the alcohol though," Granny added.

"You don't have to recommend it," Regina replied. "You just have to serve it."

Granny hummed noncommittally in response and handed the other woman a bright red scarf from a hook on the back of the door.

"Thank you," Regina said, as she wrapped the cloth around her neck.

"Can't have you scaring the customers," Granny said. "Now, out with both of you. I have to get back to the kitchen, and this office stays locked when I'm not in it."

xxxxx

Regina was attempting to savor her third scotch after making short work of the first two.

It was easier to enjoy the smokiness and the smooth burn of the liquid now that David had given up trying to 'talk some sense into her.' Really, did the man not understand how to appreciate liquor?

She wasn't sure why she preferred scotch to other, more conventional alcoholic beverages. She's sure that Archie would claim it had something to do with the fact that her father drank it or that she was only able to start drinking it after the death of Leopold. Archie would call him 'her husband' rather than 'Leopold,' though.

He'd probably have something to say about the fact that she avoided the word 'husband' too. Damn cricket.

Maybe she didn't need to savor this scotch after all. Just as she was about to throw it back, however, David's hand appeared on her arm.

"Please, Regina," he said, the remainder of the request unspoken. It was bad enough that she was getting drunk. Why she had chosen to get drunk at Granny's instead of in the privacy of her home, he really didn't understand. He supposed she had the right to grieve in her own way, especially since she wasn't killing anyone, so he maintained his post on the barstool beside her. But draining a third scotch in under an hour was not something he could allow her to do without some kind of protest, even if Granny was kindly pouring them a bit light.

Regina stilled at the feeling of his hand on her arm. That magic . . . his magic . . . it was working better than the alcohol.

She didn't feel better. That would be absurd. But she felt like maybe she would feel better.

Sometime. In the future.

With his hand on her arm, she thought she might feel better.

And that felt great.

She slid her other hand over her arm and interlaced her fingers with his as she turned away from her drink to face him.

Bewildered by her actions, but relieved she'd—however temporarily—abandoned her drink, David remained passive as Regina absently stroked his hand with her thumb and gazed at him with an expression he couldn't begin to interpret.

After a pause that would have made anyone else uncomfortable, Regina spoke. "You should kiss Ruby."

"Excuse me?" David said, shocked. Of all of the ideas he thought could be running through her mind that was not one of them.

"What?" Regina asked, confused. She had been perfectly clear. She'd enunciated and everything. Slurring was tacky. "Does she have a boyfriend or something? I thought the mouse asked her out before George killed him. I assumed she was single."

"I'm married," David told her. "And Ruby is Snow's best friend."

Regina quirked an eyebrow. "Because kissing her mortal enemy is _more_ acceptable," she hissed. The alcohol must be affecting her; she knew that was better left unsaid. At least she'd said it quietly.

Surprisingly, the diner patrons were mostly ignoring them at this point. When she had sat down to pour her first scotch directly down her throat with David beside her, the other customers had watched them in uneasiness and a bit of fascination. Thanks to Granny's scarf and a quick touch-up in the back room, though, Regina and David were mostly presentable despite the dirt from the stables. When the townspeople, then, couldn't uncover any more clues as to why the Evil Queen was getting drunk on a Saturday afternoon and why Prince Charming appeared to be her designated driver, they returned their attention to their respective meals. As curious as they were about how the Evil Queen would behave intoxicated, many of them still feared her and didn't want to risk incurring her wrath by drawing her attention.

David couldn't believe they were having this conversation. And in the diner of all places—even if the townspeople were pretending to ignore them.

"I don't want to kiss Ruby," he replied lamely. He didn't feel equipped to deal with whatever it was that had been happening between him and Regina. Predicting her responses was tricky on a normal day. On a traumatic day and after two scotches straight up . . . well, he didn't like his odds.

"Why not?" Regina replied. "She's attractive." Regina quickly scanned Ruby's appearance, as if checking her statement. Finding no fault with her assessment, she nodded her head to agree with herself and looked back at David.

_Dear Lord,_ David thought. Regina and Ruby was the stuff of every red-blooded male's fantasy. He'd have to be dead not to respond to the images Regina was conjuring. _Be a gentleman, David. She's drunk. You're in public. And you may be headed to divorce with your wife anyway, but that does not make it okay to hit on her best friend and—or!—her step-mother._

_Step-mother._ David smacked his free hand against his forehead. _What kind of mess have I gotten myself into?_

"Why do you want me to kiss her?" David asked. _There, at least now I'm not talking about Ruby's attractiveness with the Evil Queen anymore. That has to be a step in the right direction._

"Fine, don't kiss Ruby," Regina replied. "I just thought she'd be the natural choice, since you are friends, and she's pretty. Kiss Chuck for all I care."

"Chuck?" David was really confused now. "Who the hell is Chuck?"

"I assume he is," Regina replied, gesturing in the general direction of the pimply-faced teenager at the cash register. "I suppose he could have left his uniform at home and borrowed someone else's shirt, but the past couple times we've been in here, his nametag has said 'Chuck,' so I assume that is his name," Regina explained, slightly out of breath. She had a bad habit of forgetting to breathe while she spoke after a few drinks. Her drink! That's what she needed, she thought, as she released David's hand and took a long pull from her glass.

"Otherwise," Regina continued, "Granny should write him up for improper workplace apparel. Or labeling. Or something." She paused, clearly thinking hard. "I'm not really sure what the infraction would be, but mismatching one's own name should certainly warrant some kind of correction."

Charmed despite himself at her earnestness in assessing whether the cashier's name was indeed Chuck, David had temporarily forgotten why they were talking about Chuck. "Wait, what?" he asked. "Why do you want me to kiss someone?"

"Not just someone," Regina said, her exasperation disproportionate to the fact that she hadn't really explained anything to David yet. "Someone besides me," she said laboriously.

"You'll see," she said in a suddenly bright tone, as she stopped Ruby who was walking by. "Ruby," Regina said with more animation than the wolf-woman had ever witnessed from the straight-laced former mayor. "Settle a bet for us?"

Curious about the bet and entertained by Regina's obvious inebriation—especially since they had only just finished the lunch rush—Ruby replied, "Sure thing."

"Kiss him," Regina told her.

Ruby looked at David. "What the hell is she talking about?"

David just shook his head, "I have no idea."

Regina looked back and forth between them, utterly confused. "I don't understand either of you. I kissed Maleficent's toad boyfriend with less fuss. You'd think you were both lepers rather than ridiculously good-looking people."

Ruby's jaw dropped as she watched Regina take another swallow of scotch. She was shocked and more than a little flattered, if she was honest with herself. "Toad boyfriend?" she repeated, confused.

"He was her boyfriend. Then he was a toad. Then he was her boyfriend again. Though not for long," Regina explained with a smirk, as though she had made everything perfectly clear. "Now, would you please just kiss him?"

_What the hell,_ Ruby thought. _If Regina was putting people up to kissing David, Snow would rather it be her than someone else, right? What's the harm?_

Without warning, Ruby turned and planted her lips on David.

"Ouch!" Ruby said, putting her hands to her mouth. Before she could ask Regina why her lips felt like they'd been burnt, she noticed David was on the floor, looking dazed. "David! Oh my god," she exclaimed, extending a hand to help him up.

Regina's bright mood, however, had vanished as quickly as it had come. With a grim expression, she pulled cash from her wallet and placed it on the counter. Hopefully 'Chuck' would make sure it made its way to the register as some point.

With a surprisingly sober appearance, she finished the remainder of her glass before turning to face an irritated Ruby and a bewildered David. Giving David a serious look, she said, "I'd like to go home now."

"What the hell, Regina?" Ruby exclaimed, irate that the bet wasn't as harmless as Regina had implied.

The drunken queen merely pulled the scarf from her neck and handed it to Ruby. "This is your Granny's. Please thank her for me," and she gently pushed past her to head for the door.

"Regina," Ruby gasped as the woman walked by her. "Your neck . . ."

"Will heal," Regina said without turning around.

At this point, David had—mostly—recovered from the electric shock that had jolted through his body. A jumble of emotions, he pushed them all aside.

He would give Regina a ride home.

He would pour her a glass of water.

And then he would ask her some questions.

xxxxx

_**A/N: I know a few of you have been waiting for the closing of that loophole to Regina's true love experiment. I hope you got a kick out of it. Next chapter: Regina sobers up—but not too soberly—and David wants some answers. It might take a few days for me to get it organized, but I'll try not to keep you waiting too long.**_


	17. Sobering up

_**A/N: This chapter, once again, is on the longer side, and I still had to split it into yet another part. Dealing with Daniel is requiring an unexpectedly large number of words. I hope you enjoy, and, as always, reviews are much appreciated and quite helpful.**_

xxxxx

After a silent drive, Regina and David stood on her front porch where Regina was having some difficulty aligning her house key with the door lock. She emitted a low growl of frustration and unceremoniously dropped the keys into David's hand and leaned against the house for support.

He gave her a mocking smirk that was a more familiar expression on her face than his and unlocked the door with ease. "After you, my lady," he said with exaggerated gallantry.

She glowered at him and shoved off the wall. She had misjudged the force necessary, however, and she stumbled into her Charming doorstop. Luckily for her hedge, David's reflexes hadn't been dulled by drinking, and he rebalanced them both, pulling Regina flush against him in the process. His hands dug into her hips almost possessively, and he tried not to think about the location of her left thigh. Not even the familiar buzz of their contact-induced magic was helping to distract him.

One of her arms was sprawled against his chest, and the other was wrapped around his neck. _She must be feeling her scotch_, he thought. Typical Regina would have extracted herself much quicker. Though Typical Regina never would have tripped into him in the first place. He looked down at her, preparing to step back and disentangle them, but her face was tilted toward his and wore that same unfathomable look he had seen in the diner. Instead of letting her go, he instinctively held her tighter. "What?" he asked.

Her expression turned pained for a moment, but before he had a chance to respond to that pain, she pulled his head downward and connected their lips. It was not the most precise kiss—her lips first captured only his bottom lip before he moved both of his over hers, each of them desperate to connect with the other. David's heart twisted at the exquisite combination of longing, hope, and despair radiating from Regina as he held her firmly to him and tried to kiss away her pain.

He knew he wasn't the man in the stables. He knew he wasn't what she really wanted. But if he could be something she needed, well, then, he was beginning to think she was something he needed too.

When their mouths finally broke apart for air, David placed reverent kisses along her cheekbones as he continued to caress her. It was the taste of her tears that pulled him from the intensity of the moment.

He took a cautious step backwards—it wouldn't do to land them both in the hedge, the threat of which had caused their current situation—but didn't release her from his arms. Her head was bowed and her tears dropped silently to the ground. When her shoulders started to shake, he pulled her into him and gently kissed the top of her head. "Let's get you inside," he murmured into her hair.

She didn't resist as he led her into her house and sat her on her living room sofa. When he knelt in front of her and began to unzip her boot, she snapped forward. "You don't have to do that," she protested, reaching for the zipper. She could do it herself. She always did it herself. She'd accepted too much from this man already. It wouldn't do to get used to it.

David stilled her hand with his own and looked into her eyes. "It's all right, Regina," he said earnestly. "Relax. I promised Henry I would take care of you, and that's what I'm doing." David knew he required no such promise to compel him to care for her—he had used the drive from the diner to examine his feelings for the woman in front of him and had concluded at least that much—but neither of them was ready to hear that admitted out loud.

"Before your promise to Henry, I'd always assumed that you used magic to stay standing in these monsters all day," David said, attempting to lighten the mood as he successfully removed one of her boots. "I don't know how you do it."

She cracked a grin at his lame attempt at humor and replied with an equally pathetic attempt, "I enchanted all of my shoes the day the curse broke. Couldn't very well go and 'un-enchant' them after Henry made me promise to quit magic."

He emitted a small chuckle in appreciation of her extension to his joke and tugged her other boot off her foot.

"Mission accomplished," he said and smiled up at her.

She nodded back at him, her voice temporarily escaping her at the simplicity of his kindness.

He placed a hand on her knee for balance and stood, leaning over her body to place another kiss on her head. "I'm going to get us some water, and then I'm going to rummage through your pantry and fridge for food to help soak up some of that alcohol."

She gave him a weak smile in approval of his plan. When he was halfway to the kitchen she said, "Frozen Brussels sprouts."

He turned to look at her in confusion. "Well, they're not traditionally paired with scotch, but if that's what you want . . ."

Regina started to laugh lightly. "No," she said, "That's where I hide Henry's favorite cookies. In the Brussels sprouts container in the freezer."

"Ah," David said, relief and amusement displayed on his featured. "Good. I did not want to thaw out that awful rabbit food."

Regina smiled at the prince's retreating back before pulling her legs onto the sofa and curling them beneath her. She shrugged out of her suit jacket and untucked her shirt. Her perfectly tailored clothing was ideal for presenting an immaculate and controlled appearance to the townspeople, but it was less than desirable for curling her body around a throw pillow in the corner of her couch. Regina shrugged mentally and hugged the pillow tighter. If she ripped a stitch or a hem, she'd fix it tomorrow.

She had nearly achieved her desired state of complete thoughtlessness when David returned with two bottles of water, a bag of popcorn, a box of Henry's favorite cookies, and a stack of napkins. He placed everything on the coffee table, and then opened a bottle of water and handed it to Regina.

Appreciating the wisdom of this, she drank the entire bottle.

He nodded in approval and traded her empty bottle for the full one. Then, he disappeared back into the kitchen to reappear with three more bottles of water. Given the stress of the day, she had probably been dehydrated before she had even started drinking. And—perhaps bizarrely, given that the town was created by a curse—Storybrooke had an excellent recycling center, so he was not concerned about racking up empty water bottles.

He opened a bottle for himself and sat down next to her, just close enough so his thigh connected with her stocking-clad toes and restored their magical hum. "I put Granny's frozen lasagna in the oven and set the timer. I thought we could both use something a bit more substantial than your secret stash of Henry's cookies."

"Hey," she protested. "They aren't for me. I have to hide them from him so he doesn't sneak them." As soon as the words left her mouth, the muted melancholy that always accompanied the absence of her son settled over her. Determined not to dwell on the feeling, she mock-scolded David. "And be sure not to tell him about the Brussels sprouts," she lectured. "I do not want to have to find a new hiding spot."

For a few moments, the pair munched and drank water in silence. There was much to say, but there would be time for that. At this moment, they needed a break.

A break from missing families and temporarily resurrected fiancés. A break from the expectations of others, whether to help or hurt them. And a break from shouldering the burdens alone.

"Henry likes to dunk them in milk," Regina said as David reached for another cookie. "There's some in the door of the fridge, if you'd like."

She smiled a bit at the Prince's poorly disguised resistance to her offer. "It must be genetic," she teased him. "Go pour yourself a glass."

The speed at which he leapt off the sofa confirmed her suspicions—the man enjoyed a glass of milk with his baked goods. For some reason, she found that endearing.

The flare of warmth that suffused her heart at David's enthusiasm for cookies and milk passed quicker than it came, however, and its absence made the void within her starker by comparison.

It was as if a black hole resided in her chest.

Were black holes vacuums like the rest of space? She tried to remember. She'd picked up one of those pop science books at the bookstore a few months back and skimmed through it a bit. Something about dark matter. It seemed like the scientists didn't really understand black holes or dark matter. Maybe they should ask her. She felt like dark matter. A matter of darkness, certainly.

Nothing could live in a vacuum. That seemed logical—how could anything live in nothing?

Was the opposite, then, also true? Could something live with a vacuum inside it? Could she? Could she survive when she felt like a gaping hole was trying to pull her body inside out—searching for anything to fill the void?

She looked up with a start as the ceramic coaster clattered against David's glass of milk on the coffee table. _Thank god he's back,_ she thought. _I've gone from a poor attempt at dark matter poetry to morose philosophy. I can't stand my own thoughts for a moment longer._

David gave her a dazzling smile. "Nice to know you missed me," he said, as he reclaimed his seat next to her, connecting their magical circuit once more.

"Huh?" Regina asked. She was too drained to be more eloquent, even though the resumption of the golden hum made the edges of her void less sharp.

David smirked at her and tapped her foot briefly, but affectionately. "You said 'Thank god he's back.'"

Regina looked mortified—she hadn't intended to say that aloud—but she recovered quickly. "Don't flatter yourself. I was just trying to pad your fragile ego."

David hummed skeptically and handed her a cookie. She wasn't eating enough.

Absently, she accepted the circle of calories and just looked at it for a moment. "Talk to me," she said. Meeting his eyes, she added, "Please," and took a deliberate bite of the cookie, somehow trying to demonstrate her intention to meet him halfway.

Halfway to where, she wasn't sure. But the last time Daniel had died, the only confidante at her disposal had been Rumpelstiltskin.

Maybe if she had a friend who wasn't The Dark One—not that Rumpel was ever really her friend—she'd have a chance at leaving her Evil Queen crown on a metaphorical bookshelf to collect dust.

It was just so hard.

"Sebastian is working out great," David said.

"What?" Regina said. _Very articulate, Regina, but at least it's a step up from 'Huh?'._

"I took your advice and asked Archie to recommend someone to help me out with all of the paperwork at the Sheriff's office, and he sent Sebastian my way," David explained. "Aside from having to recuse himself from some property disputes he has with Scuttle, he's been an immense help."

David passed Regina another cookie and continued, "He seems to actually _enjoy_ sorting through everyone's complaints."

He leaned toward her as if he were about to share a prime piece of gossip and mock-whispered, "Between you and me, I think he might be on a bit of a power-trip."

Regina actually chuckled a bit at that. The former crab had constantly applied for a job in the mayor's office during her tenure, and she'd always turned him down for that precise reason.

"Thank you," she said. It was kind of David to distract her.

"You're welcome," he said meaningfully.

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Regina obediently ate and drank her water, extracting comfort from the golden magic and the fact that, temporarily at least, she was not alone. David, meanwhile, attempted to assess her mood and decide whether he should risk asking her some awkward questions. Since she seemed subdued, rather than homicidal, and he had run out of small talk, he decided to take the risk. His bravery usually paid off where Regina was concerned.

"Why do you suppose we are each other's romantic true loves?"

Regina choked on her water, triggering a coughing fit.

After she stopped sputtering, David asked, "Have you known ever since the morning in the woods when you taught me to find my magic?" His expression attempted neutrality, but a feeling of disappointed betrayal leaked through. After working so closely together, how could she keep this from him?

Regina protested, "No, no, David, I didn't." She could tell that he didn't believe her, and she placed a hand on his arm to try to prevent him from closing himself off from her entirely. "You're right that that morning was critical to me figuring it out, but, David—" Her eyes pleaded with him; he had to believe her—"I didn't _know_."

She could tell that he wasn't convinced, but at least he was allowing her the opportunity to explain her decisions.

"That morning," she said, "I didn't expect your magic to present itself so strongly. I thought we'd have several failed attempts on your part to even locate it within yourself and that I would need to do some rather serious work on my end to pull it out of you—to even sense it."

She was relieved to see that he was listening intently. He really was giving her a chance. Remarkable, given that he'd accused her of a lust spell not forty-eight hours earlier.

"So," she continued, "when your magic propelled into the forest, on your first try, no less, I was stunned. I had no idea what to make of it. And then," she glanced at him, "when you kissed me . . ." she deliberately looked away from him in an attempt to conceal her feelings, "I was so angry at you for using me as a stand-in for your _wife_ that I couldn't think straight."

Her expression temporarily hardened as she re-felt her determination not to be second to Snow White.

She stalled David's automatic apology with a quick shake of her head, and resumed her explanation. After that stunt she pulled with Ruby in the diner, she owed him that much.

"It wasn't until later, when Belle and I were chained up in the library—and the magical connection re-emerged when we touched—that the pieces started to fall into place," she fiddled with the label of her water bottle. She didn't like exposing herself like this. Her mother had said that love was weakness. Regina's philosophy was more specific: Vulnerability invites pain.

But she was on a mission to break her patterns.

And that motto seemed as good a place as any to start, even if she didn't quite disagree with it yet.

She looked at David and was surprised to see hints of compassion, rather than anger, in his gaze.

"I was going to tell you my suspicions—that you and Snow weren't each other's true loves; I hadn't acknowledged the possibility of, well, this, yet—as soon as we could speak privately," Regina said. "I nearly had a panic attack in the middle of Belle's description," she scoffed, still irritated at her past self for the near-loss of composure.

She met his eyes again. "But then you walked through the library doors," it was her turn to look at him with compassion, "and you looked devastated." She shook her head slowly, "And I just couldn't tell you."

"And then I made you justifiably furious," David continued explaining her actions for her. "And," he said, grabbing her hand in gratitude, "Despite my horrible behavior," he squeezed her hand, "you called me the very next morning to continue to help me get my family back."

He looked at her with something approaching awe. "I was horrible to you, and you responded by continuing to help me, inviting the allies of your mortal enemy into your home, and withholding an unsubstantiated theory so that I didn't have to learn that my marriage to my wife was doomed AND that I had betrayed her in the worst way—by falling in love with her mortal enemy—in the same day."

With the hand that wasn't grasping hers, he reached up and cupped her face. "You are extraordinary," he breathed.

Regina was frozen. She couldn't look away from the earnestness of the Prince's expression. When she felt the beginnings of a blush, she bolted, "I'll go check on the lasagna."

xxxxx

Regina cut them both generously sized slices and tossed some spinach on each plate. It was green; it counted as salad.

"Here you go," she handed him his plate and utensils and curled back up into the corner of the couch with her dinner-lunch. She wasn't really hungry, but Granny's lasagna did smell fantastic, and she knew she had to eat. She didn't want to worry Henry.

After a few bites each, David repeated his earlier question. "Why do you think we are each other's romantic true loves?" His tone was curious and cautious.

"Don't get me wrong," he said, "You're breathtaking, and there is no question that our relationship has improved dramatically, but it was only two weeks ago that we tried to kill each other, so this seems rather . . . unexpected." _Or crazy_, he thought.

Regina chewed her lasagna thoughtfully and swallowed. Setting her plate down, she said, "I don't really know." She sighed, "But I have some guesses. I'd love to call them theories, but they aren't well-developed enough to deserve that name." She smiled at him wryly.

"To start with," she began carefully, "I think the magic picked up on our obvious chemistry."

"Obvious chemistry?" he couldn't resist teasing her.

"You had me flat on my back on a table in the public library," Regina replied. "Don't get coy on me now, Charming," she smirked at his overly-innocent expression.

"As I was saying," she mock-scolded him, "I think the magic sensed our mutual attraction, even though we hadn't acted on it, and—this is where my idea becomes really speculative—I think the magic knew before we did that we would, well, . . . develop feelings for each other," Regina finished uncomfortably. She couldn't be in love with David. She was in love with Daniel.

Attempting to ignore his own discomfort at their situation as well as spare her feelings, David decided to ask a technical question. "When you explained true love before, you said it only had to be true in that moment, that being permanent was not necessary for the magical properties," he recalled her lesson as best as he could. "How does it make sense, then, that this magic would look into the future rather than into the present, and use a future definition of our relationship?" How had his feelings for Snow been so tenuous one week after her disappearance that his own magic matched him with another woman? He was so ashamed of himself, much more so than when he was seeing Mary Margaret while still curse-married to Kathryn.

This time all of his feelings, and all of his relationships—his marriage—were real.

"This is why I'm calling my idea a guess," Regina responded. "I think that it has something to do with the fact that Rumpelstiltskin reintroduced magic in order to reclaim his former powers, which, as we know all too well, included soothsaying."

David contemplated her words and said, "And you think the magic within Storybrooke has some property to see into the future?"

Regina nodded. "My best guess is that, when you pushed your magic outward and it encountered me, it read our fortunes . . ." She still didn't want to say it out loud. "And this is the result," she said simply.

"Rumpelstiltskin was fond of saying that he didn't see the future but that he saw possibilities of the future," David repeated. "Does that mean that we are not necessarily each other's romantic true loves, but just possible true loves?"

"It's hard to know for sure," Regina replied. "If Snow returns and you can kiss both of us without getting shocked, then that would seem to indicate possibilities rather than some kind of predestination. If kissing her shocks you, however," Regina was still not comfortable in this conversation, "that could indicate that our situation is . . . what it is."

"Or just that Snow is no longer a possibility," David said.

Regina was somber. His tone indicated that he was certain that his romance with Snow was over. While she felt no compassion for the woman who had caused Daniel's death, she couldn't rejoice over her pain either. Not when it also hurt the man in front of her.

"You don't know that, David," Regina said. Resignation was not a good look on him. Hope was.

But his resigned expression remained, though it seemed accompanied by something resembling acceptance. He shook his head and said, "Snow is my past, not my future."

The conviction in his voice surprised her, and she tilted her head in an implied question. _How do you know? How can you be so certain?_

He gave her an assessing gaze followed by a small smile. "When you're ready to hear my answer, ask me out loud," he squeezed her knee, emphasizing that his statement was not a challenge, but was merely the truth, "And I'll tell you."

His gentle consideration strongly affected Regina. They were discussing the end of his storybook romance, and he had the generosity to be concerned for her feelings.

For some reason, receiving this kindness caused tears to well up in her eyes. After all the isolation and loneliness, this was the curve on the emotional rollercoaster that she didn't know how to handle. A mirthless chuckle escaped her lips as she blinked back her tears, "With all the crying I've done today, I'm surprised—and a bit relieved—that I'm still capable of producing tears."

David heard the hitch in her voice and decided to respond to that rather than her deflection. "Come here," he said gently, holding his arms open.

When she hesitated, rather than mocking him, he leaned into her space and gently pulled her away from her corner of the couch and tucked her into his side, encircling her in his arms and supporting her head in the crook of his neck.

Initially, Regina tensed, but then she allowed herself to relax into David's embrace, and the two sat in the thick, comforting silence for several moments.

Eventually, unwilling to allow herself become used to having someone to comfort her, Regina slid into an upright position to sit next to him, but allowed his arm to remain along her shoulders.

"Do you want to talk about him?" David asked softly.

He felt, more than saw, her shake her head. "Not now," she replied. "If I talk about him now, I won't be able to put myself together," her voice shook slightly before turning more determined, "I don't have time to be broken. I have to help Henry."

Allowing her to change the subject, David asked, "Yesterday, at the diner, you said that we'd need to perform additional magic to 'anchor' Henry to Storybrooke. What do you mean by that and how are you so sure that it will keep Henry safe?"

"Anchoring is actually one of the simpler magical acts," Regina said. "Like much powerful magic, it relies on true love, but, once that condition is met, it's a matter of will and strength. As you might be aware, I have a great deal of both," she finished wryly.

David nodded his head in acknowledgment. There was no doubting Regina's power or determination, especially where her son was concerned. But he was still confused. She would hate him for this question; he had to word it carefully. "Why didn't you kissing Henry break the curse, since you truly love him?"

Regina bristled at the implication that she didn't truly love Henry, but she pushed down her anger; David was trying to protect Henry. "The nature of that curse was that it couldn't be broken by anyone upon whom it was cast. Emma escaped through the wardrobe, and Henry was born in this world. Therefore, they could break the curse, but none of us could."

"You couldn't break your own curse?" David asked skeptically.

"I never tried," Regina snapped and then responded more calmly, "But I couldn't break it on accident."

She looked at him earnestly. "I would die for my son," she stated. "That means that, magically, I truly love him. And, for me to anchor him, that love does not have to be reciprocal," she looked away. Addressing the contingency that her son might not love her was gougingly painful in its necessity.

David wanted to assure her that Henry loved her, but he knew that Henry was the only person she would believe. He settled for squeezing her shoulder in support. "Why don't you call him?" he suggested.

"Henry?" Regina asked.

"Yes," David said. "I'm sure he's worried about you and would love to hear from you. He made me promise that I would call if you needed him."

Regina smiled slightly at the evidence of her son's concern. It would be nice to hear his voice. But she hadn't called him since he moved in with David. What if he didn't want to talk to her?

"Here," David stretched to grab her cell phone off the coffee table and handed it to her. "He's worried about you."

She looked at the phone in her hand, as if she couldn't decide whether it was friend or foe, gathered her courage, and hit send.

"Mom?" Henry's surprised voice answered after one ring.

Regina almost couldn't speak through her broad smile, "Henry—"

"Are you all right? What did the doctor say? Do you need help?" Grumpy and Astrid had tried to keep him distracted, but he's spent all afternoon wondering about his mom. David didn't know her as well as he did; maybe he should have stayed with them.

"Henry," Regina said in a confidently assuring tone, "I'm fine. David took me to see Granny, and she said that, other than a few bruises, I'm not hurt."

"Is Granny a doctor?" Henry challenged.

"She knows a lot about injuries, Henry," Regina replied.

"But, if she's not a doctor—" Henry was frustrated. His mom would never let him go to Granny instead of a doctor. And what if she was really hurt?

"Henry," Regina interjected. "Please trust me. I've lived longer than you and been—I mean, seen—more injuries than you. This one will heal."

"Okay," Henry said, but some doubt leaked into his voice.

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. She was trying to break her patterns, right? "I was trying to keep my promise to you, Henry," she said, before she could talk herself out of confiding even this small weakness with her son. "I am extremely angry with someone that works in the hospital, and I don't want to do something that you wouldn't like. So I had David keep me away from the hospital. Until I'm less angry." _Forever_, she thought.

"You mean Dr. Whale?" Henry asked, remembering the brief mention of him between his mom and David at the stables.

"Yes," Regina said.

"Did he hurt the man we saw?" Henry asked. He couldn't believe his mom was telling him the truth instead of telling him that he was too young. He wasn't sure if he'd have another chance to get his questions answered, and, when he wasn't bursting with worry over whether his mom was okay, he was bursting with curiosity over what he'd witnessed between her and the man she'd made disappear.

"Yes, he did," Regina replied in an effortful, detached tone.

Henry was silent for a moment as he digested that information. He had a lot more questions, but his mom still sounded upset.

"I'm proud of you, Mom," he said.

Regina was almost embarrassed by how grateful she felt at receiving praise from her son, but she was too pleased to concern herself with monitoring the appropriateness of her reactions. Her son was proud of her. All of her effort—he was noticing. _It was working._

"Thank you, Henry," she said.

"You're trying. It's good," he affirmed. "May I talk to David now?"

"Sure," Regina replied. "I love you, Henry."

"Love you too, Mom."

Regina absently handed the phone to David, savoring Henry's words of kindness and love. To her, it was as if the words had taken physical form, and if she cherished them enough, they would wrap around her wounded heart.

"Sounds good, Henry," David said. "Love you too."

David's salutation and placement of the phone back on the coffee table clued Regina into the fact that she had missed the entirety of David's conversation with Henry.

David seemed to understand that she hadn't been paying attention and squeezed her shoulder. He couldn't believe that she had allowed them to sit so close together for so long, but he wasn't going to question it. He was grateful that she was accepting even this much support from him.

"Henry wanted to make sure I was taking care of you," he told her, grinning at the grilling he had just received from his grandson. "I have no doubt that he would have been over here immediately if my answers had not been satisfactory."

Regina allowed herself a small smile at her son's protectiveness. Maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought.

"He offered to come over tonight, but I suggested breakfast tomorrow instead," David said cautiously. "I hope you don't mind; I thought you could use a little more time to just be you without having to worry about Henry's reaction."

Regina was torn. She wanted to see her son so badly, but she didn't want him to see her like this. David was probably right. Just talking to Henry on the phone had taxed her resources more than she cared to admit. She nodded, "Breakfast sounds nice."

Glad that she hadn't gotten angry, but concerned at how exhausted she sounded, David watched Regina carefully as she dropped her head back onto his arm along the back of the couch. He thought about suggesting that she change into something more comfortable or even go ahead and go to bed, but he didn't want to break the companionable spell they were under.

He pulled the afghan from the side of the couch and began to wrap it around her. Wordlessly, she intervened and extended it so that it covered both of them rather than just her. David placed a kiss on the side of her head as a thank you.

She may not be ready to accept that they were romantic true loves, but he knew they were. He wasn't proud of the change in allegiance of his feelings, but, after some reflection, the evolution in his relationship with Regina seemed natural, even necessary. He would have to be patient though. He loved Regina_—there, I said it to myself, at least—_but, for all her intelligence, she was a rookie at properly handling her emotions.

A relationship with her was not going to be easy. But, he thought as the warmth filled his heart, it was going to be great.

She wasn't ready to talk about it, but he would show her whatever affection she would allow.

"This 'anchoring' spell," David said, "will keep both you and Henry safe?"

"Magic is never risk-free," Regina said. "But this spell will make the risk to Henry almost zero."

"And you?" her evasiveness had not gone unnoticed by David.

"I'm a survivor," Regina said dryly. She had always tended toward the homicidal rather than the suicidal. And now that things were getting better with Henry, and this whatever-it-was with David, she had so much to live for . . . .

David still was not completely satisfied with her answer, but he knew that she spoke the truth. Regina never stayed down for long.

"You really think we should do this?" David asked.

Regina sighed. "I do."

David nodded in contemplation. "Then I guess we should do it. If you think Henry will be safe, then I defer to your expertise." He rubbed his hand up and down along her arm as his sigh mirrored hers. "What's our next move?"

"Tomorrow morning, we talk to Henry," she pivoted to make eye contact with David, "But we edit what we tell him." She looked at him seriously. "He absolutely cannot know that he is our last option to retrieve Snow and Emma from Storybrooke. Even if he suspects it, we cannot confirm this. The pressure would be disastrous, on an emotional, and therefore magical, level."

She relaxed slightly when she saw that David accepted and understood the necessity of misleading Henry in this way. She had been concerned that the noble prince's abhorrence of deception would ignore this grey area.

"Then," Regina continued, "I teach him what he needs to know."

At the re-emergence of her worry that accompanied her last statement, David asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked at him, as if considering whether to trust him with this particular fear. "Given how powerful you are, and given the power I felt from Ms. Swan before she fell through the portal, I'm concerned that Henry is the most powerful sorcerer in Storybrooke."

David was solemn. That was bad news, indeed. One of the most salient lessons he'd learned stepping into Emma's role as Sheriff was that wielding power made you a target. A target of manipulation, affection, anger. And the greater the power, the larger the target. He didn't want that for Henry.

Regina noted David's reaction carefully. He seemed to understand that Henry's potential magic was a problem rather than an opportunity, so she continued, "For many reasons, I don't want Henry—or anyone else—to know how powerful he could be." She paused. She hated that she was planning to deceive her son, when he clearly valued honesty from her. Would his tenuously rebuilt trust in her permanently shatter if he discovered her deliberate manipulation?

Regina shook off these thoughts. Henry's safety and well-being came first. If he hated her for it—her heart twisted at the thought—well, that was the price she would have to pay.

She turned back to David, "I will teach Henry exactly what he needs to know to do this spell, but nothing more." She grasped his hand in sudden urgency, "And we are both going to have to watch him carefully. To make sure he doesn't use unnecessary magic."

David held her closer in reassurance. "Henry's a good kid, Regina." He kissed the top of her head. "It will be all right."

In her worried and exhausted state, Regina curled into his comfort and hugged him tightly. Mixing magic with the people she loved never ended well.

xxxxx

_**A/N: Thanks for reading! We are nearing the end of this tale, so if there are holes in the plot that you want to make sure I address or characters that you particularly hope to see again, let me know. I won't guarantee that I will fulfill your request in this story, but if I can make it work, I will!**_


	18. The Morning After

_**A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's not the last, or even second to last, one. I'll let you know when we get to the second to last chapter.**_

_**I hope you enjoy!**_

xxxxx

Grumpy exchanged an uncomfortable look with Henry. The two stood, stunned, in the living room of the Evil Queen. Who was asleep in the arms of Prince Charming.

Grumpy cleared his throat and clapped Henry on the shoulder. "Good luck with this, kid," he said and headed to the door.

"You're leaving?" Henry cried in disbelief.

Grumpy laughed, "Oh yeah," he replied. "No way am I going to deal with this," he gestured to the pair on the couch. _Astrid is going to have a field day when I tell her about this._ "See ya," he said and closed the door behind him.

"No fair," Henry grumbled under his breath. Might as well wake them up, he thought. He was hungry.

Just as he was about to shake his mom awake, he looked over them again. It was actually kind of nice. His mom's face wasn't so . . . stiff. It was peaceful. Kind of sad, but still peaceful. And his grandfather's face looked relaxed, but determined, even in sleep. And with their arms and legs intertwined like that, it was like they were competing to see who would protect the other.

Impulsively, Henry pulled out his phone and took their picture. He wasn't sure why he did it, but it seemed like something he should do. Then, he put his phone away and gently shook his mother's shoulder. "Mom," he said softly, and then louder, "Mom."

Regina stirred with her eyes closed, "Henry?"

"Wake up, Mom," Henry ordered.

Regina started to stretch and became confused as her awareness returned. Something heavy was limiting her movements. Something heavy . . and something warm . . . and something that was causing a magical buzz at their points of contact? _Oh dear._

Her eyes snapped open, and she tried to extract herself from David's embrace as quickly and gracefully as possible. Which, as it turned out, was not possible. Somehow, they had effectively tied themselves together with the afghan through whatever series of turns they had made in their sleep. _Wonderful._ Regina would have smacked herself in the head if she could move either of her arms.

She looked disbelievingly at her son before turning to David. "David," she said. When he just hummed in response and held her tighter, her eyes went wide and she snapped at him, "David! Wake up."

"Regina," his sleepy voice was nearly a whine. Couldn't she let him have five more minutes? He was so tired.

"David," she stated firmly. "You have to wake up. Henry is here, and he's ready for breakfast." _And I refuse to deal with this compromising situation alone._

The edge in her voice, more than the content of her words, penetrated the dream-induced fog of his mind, and David forced himself awake.

"Henry," David said, attempting to sound normal. "Hi," he cleared his throat and, like Regina, attempted to subtly remove himself from their cozy position. Also like Regina, however, he quickly discovered that the warm and comfortable afghan was their new nemesis.

He then looked down at the woman in his arms. She looked simultaneously amused and exasperated. Adorable. He had the sudden impulse to kiss her, but he fought back the urge. Even without Henry present, his overtures might not be appreciated. With Henry present, well, he'd be taking his life into his hands. He settled for matching her wry grin with one of his own and said, "Maybe if we sit up together?"

Regina nodded, "Good idea."

They awkwardly leveraged themselves into a seated position and began scrambling out of the afghan and away from each other, all under the keenly critical gaze of Henry. He'd seen his mother use this look when she wanted answers from people or to make them feel ashamed. This seemed like an entertaining moment to imitate her. It was fun making grown-ups feel uncomfortable. Especially his mom. Because she was never uncomfortable.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed, as he saw the bruises on her neck, which had begun to turn purple.

"It's all right, Henry," she told him, reaching for his hand. "Unfortunately, they are going to look a lot worse before they start to look better. So, don't get worried when they turn completely purple and then green. That's just how bruises heal." She squeezed his hand and gave him a comforting smile to try to convince him. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "He just had a rather tight grip for a minute there," she tried to make light of the situation.

"I know. I saw," Henry said, still not sure if he really thought his mom was okay.

"You saw?" Regina replied, shocked and appalled. "How much did you see?" she shook his hand when he refused to meet her eyes. "Henry?"

Henry resolutely stared at his shoes. "All of it."

Horrified, Regina looked at David, who also looked concerned, but curious. What had happened that Regina was so concerned about Henry witnessing it?

Regina recovered from her shock. She shouldn't have been surprised that Henry had been eavesdropping; she just didn't think he would have been able to do it that successfully. "Henry?" she asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

When she heard a small sniffle from her son, she pulled him onto her lap and gently rocked him. "It's okay, Henry," she murmured. "We're okay."

"I thought you were going to let him strangle you," Henry said.

"Oh, Henry," Regina replied. "I know it looked scary, but I would never let anyone take me away from you," she told him with conviction. "I think my performance at the town hall kind of proves that, don't you?" she gave him a teasing, yet reassuring, grin, which widened when he smiled and nodded back.

"Okay," she said. "How about I make us all some breakfast, and then I'll try to answer the questions you must have about yesterday?"

Henry's nod was more enthusiastic this time, and David's stomach chose that moment to grumble, conveniently breaking the tension with their laughter.

xxxxx

"Regina," David said, "this hollandaise is amazing."

"Thank you," Regina replied, pleased. She knew that Henry loved her eggs benedict, so she always kept the ingredients stocked.

"May I have another one, Mom? Please," Henry whined a little. He wasn't usually allowed seconds of something so rich, but he hadn't eaten much the day before—he had been too worried.

"Okay, Henry," Regina said, taking a quick bite of fruit before returning to the kitchen with Henry's plate.

When she returned, she had to repress a smile. David was looking at her with puppy-dog eyes over a clean plate. "I suppose you want another one too?" she asked with the attitude of someone being imposed upon.

David jutted out his lower lip in a pout and nodded.

She held her hand out for his plate, still feigning irritation, though her lips were twitching from the effort of suppressing a grin.

At this, David's pout turned into a broad smile that remained on his face after Regina disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hey," Henry quietly, but forcefully demanded David's attention.

"Hey," David whispered back.

Henry carefully observed the look on his grandfather's face. "Do you like my mom?" he asked seriously.

"Of course," David replied. "She's been really helpful the past couple weeks—"

"No," Henry interrupted. "Do you _like_ like her?"

David looked down at his plate, unsure of what to do. David found Henry's penetrating expression to be strangely unnerving, given that his interrogator was only ten.

"You look at her like you do," Henry said, still watching David closely.

David was torn. He didn't want to hide his feelings for Regina, especially from Henry, but he was still married. Also, Regina had said that Henry's emotional stability was paramount to his safety and magical performance . . . but he didn't know which answer would upset the boy the least.

Regina spared him the necessity of answering, however, by returning with his additional serving. David did his best to conceal his relief, but mother and son both noticed and filed the observation away for future reference, though the son had more context for the expression.

Henry tried a different approach. "Mom?" he asked after she sat down. "Why were you sleeping with David?"

Regina sputtered, nearly choking on her coffee. She was fairly confident that her son did not know the alternative meaning for the phrase "sleeping with," but hearing it still conjured some highly inappropriate thoughts and images.

Quickly regaining her composure, though not as quickly regaining the ability to breathe properly or speak, Regina finally responded. "Well, Henry," she said, "I was really upset yesterday, so David gave me a hug. And I guess he was still hugging me when we fell asleep." _There, _she thought. _I told the truth. It may be an oversimplification, but it's the truth._

Henry supposed her explanation made sense, but he didn't think that was the whole story. He'd never seen anyone else hold him mom like that. Well, except for the man from yesterday.

"Who was the man in the stables?" Henry asked.

Regina carefully set down her coffee and took a fortifying breath. She was trying to win back her son. How could she expect him to love her if she didn't let him know her, even a little bit?

"His name was Daniel," she said. "He was my fiancé."

She looked up to see twin expressions of shock on David and Henry's faces. Surprised, she asked David, "You don't know this?"

David shook his head. _Fiancé?_ This must have something to do with Snow saying she ruined Regina's life.

"I thought Snow would have told you," Regina commented.

"She didn't," he replied.

"Fiancé?" Henry asked. "Why didn't you get married?"

"He died," Regina said, detached.

"But yesterday . . ." Henry was confused. If he had died, why was he in the stables yesterday?

"Dr. Whale brought him back to life," Regina stated. But that was the end of the story. She supposed they deserved to hear the beginning. Or the middle. Or the first end, depending on your perspective.

Clinically, she summarized this episode of her particular tragedy. "Daniel worked in our stables, when I was young. We fell in love, but we hid our relationship, knowing that my mother would never approve." She examined her fingernails, avoiding both Henry and David's expressions. "Then, my mother arranged for me to marry the king." She decided to leave Snow out of the story. She couldn't bear it if Henry took the side of his biological family over her. Not today.

She took a sip of coffee. Caffeine was hardly a nerve steadier, but picking up the cup gave her something to do with her hands.

"Daniel and I decided to run away together, but, before we could, my mother uncovered our plans." Regina's matter-of-fact tone chilled both David and Henry as they awaited the horrid end of her tale.

"She came to see us in the stables," Regina said blandly. "She pretended to give us her blessing." It was as if she had completely disassociated. "And then she ripped Daniel's heart out of his chest and crushed it."

She cleared her throat and glanced at her listeners. Henry looked shocked. David looked like he was going to be ill. She decided to share some of the more mundane details while they recovered. "I used magic for the first time that night. I performed a preservation spell on his body and hid it."

She turned her attention to David, "I think Whale, in a twisted way, was actually trying to do me a favor—probably hoping I'd do something for him in return, I'm sure. He stole Daniel's body, one of my hearts, and resurrected him."

"But," she said, her detached façade cracking, "it wasn't really him." She stopped speaking. She didn't want to cry in front of her son, and if she said another word, she was going to choke on her own tears.

"It was for a little while," Henry said. "He said that he loved you, and that you had the most ability to love of anyone he'd ever met. And he told you to love again." While he was talking, Henry had walked around the table to stand next to his mother. "He loves you, and he wants you to be happy," he told her seriously and then gave her a hug.

Moments later, when Regina was once again in complete control of her responses, she murmured, "Thank you, Henry," and stood up to clear the plates. Before she could grab a dish, however, David had sprung from his seated position and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Regina," he whispered intensely into her hair.

Conscious of her son's presence and uncomfortable receiving so much compassion in one month, let alone one morning, Regina awkwardly returned his hug and then extricated herself, returning to her intention of clearing the plates.

"Well, you knew it wasn't going to be pleasant," she said. "Only damaged people cast dark curses."

"Henry," David said without removing his eyes from Regina. "Make yourself scarce."

Regina sighed and took the dishes into the kitchen while Henry huffed in aggravation and left the room as well.

A moment later, David followed Henry around to the other entrance to the kitchen, where he was settled in to eavesdrop. "Your room, Henry. Now."

Seeing the stubborn set of his grandfather's chin, Henry sulked. "Fine," he said and stalked up the stairs.

David smiled at his grandson's frustration. During moments like these, he could tell they were related. He then schooled his features into a slightly stern expression. He was about to scold an Evil Queen. He must be insane.

"Regina," he said, as she continued to wash dishes. "I wish you wouldn't talk about yourself like that."

"Like what?" she asked, more concerned with scrubbing the pot in which she'd made the hollandaise than with the prince's irritation.

"Like you don't matter," David replied, invading her personal space and turning off the sink.

Regina looked at the remaining dirty dishes, including the one in her head, and turned a critical eye to David. "Are you volunteering to finish washing these?" The question was simple, but her tone was threatening.

"You are not some 'damaged person,' Regina," David said earnestly, taking the dishtowel from her hands to hold them. "You are you. And you've been hurt, but don't include yourself in some clichéd group. You're so much more than that."

"What I am, David," she snapped and yanked her hands away, "is a woman that can't press charges against the man that caused me to kill my true love, because he broke into and entered a vault that contains an uncountable number of dark magical objects that I don't want this town to know about, including, but not limited to, so many hearts that I don't know who all the owners are."

Her rage at this man's presumption to know her was fading into desperation. How could she ever have hoped to redeem herself? Her crimes were far too heavy; her choices unconscionable. There were some paths that you just couldn't come back from.

"I am irredeemable," she looked at him sadly. "I know you think you love me," she said, placing a hand on his cheek. "And maybe you do—but you shouldn't."

"Regina," David protested.

"I know why the magic knew I'd fall in love with you," she interrupted.

Surprise lit David's features. She spoke like she was certain that she did or would love him. This was the first time she'd admitted as much.

She looked at him compassionately. "You are a good man, David," she said. "In some ways, you are so like Daniel that it scares me . . . " Her voice trailed off, and then she recollected herself. "But you are definitely your own man. And you deserve a good woman. You deserve someone like—" her breath hitched—"like, Snow."

As he shook his head, she replied to his unstated rebuttal, "I know this true love magic we have between us is quite the complicating factor, but it will go away as soon as the feelings do." She gazed at him intently. "You fell in love with her once. When she's back, and we're spending less time together, you can do it again. As is the natural order of things." This man deserved so much more than her.

David shook his head at her and stepped even closer to her, their bodies now brushing together. "Oh, Regina," he sighed. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and used his other hand to caress the side of her face and brush his thumb gently across her cheekbone. "I disagree with so much of that, I don't even know where to start."

"You are redeemable," he said. At her disbelieving look, he continued, "You're right that I don't know the extent of your crimes. And you're right that you've done things that you can never take back. But, Regina, you are not the same woman you were two weeks ago. You've already come so far from the angry woman that kidnapped her son in the middle of a town meeting. I know it must be hard, and I know that there is no way for me to know how hard it is. But you're doing so well. Don't give up." He looked at her intently. "You are worth fighting for."

Regina had gone very still during David's impassioned speech. She was ashamed of how desperately she wanted to believe him.

When he felt that his words had been absorbed by the statue-like queen, David said, "To your other points. First of all, I'm honored that you compared me to Daniel. I'd like to hear more about him sometime, if you'd like to tell me."

Regina gave him a tight smile, once again reigning in tears. "I'd like that," she whispered to him, finally mirroring his embrace by placing her hands on his shoulders. She'd never told anyone, except Snow White, anything about Daniel or her love for him. It would be nice to share his memory with someone who knew how much it meant to her.

"Good," he said, placing a kiss to her forehead. "Secondly, I can understand why you wouldn't believe in the steadfastness of my feelings for you, what with Prince Charming's history with Snow White and David Nolan's history with Kathryn and Mary Margaret and—almost—you." He gave her a smirk as he alluded to the night, not too long ago, when she tried to seduce him.

"But," he continued, "My feelings aren't as changeable as you think. The situation with Kathryn, as you know, was induced by the curse. And, when it comes to my relationship with Snow, you are just as ill-informed as Henry—thinking that the beginning and the end of our story is true love's kiss." He gave her a reprimanding look. "You should know better than anyone that relationships and people are never as simple as they seem."

"I'm sure that, if Snow and I had stayed in the Enchanted Forest and raised Emma, we would have been a happy family," David said. "But, I'm also sure that Emma wouldn't have spoken her first full sentence before Snow and I agreed to a more . . . pragmatic view of our marriage."

Regina's arched an eyebrow at this. The poster couple for Happily Ever After would have headed for separate bedrooms? How could that be possible?

"Regina," David sighed. "All I ever wanted growing up was a family. I've never been an ambitious man. I just wanted to work the farm to support and love my wife and my children. That's all."

Regina was enthralled. She never would have suspected that she'd have so much in common with Snow White's husband.

"I never wanted the crown, and I certainly never wanted authority. And when I met Snow, I thought, well, I thought that maybe I could marry for love and still fulfill my responsibility to my people."

"But Snow," David paused, unsure how to proceed. "It's not that she didn't want a family or that she didn't love me or that she doesn't love Emma, but she didn't want a partner." He looked at Regina. Was he making any sense? "We rarely made decisions together. We didn't discuss what to do or how to do it. She might let me say my piece, but she would always do what she thought best, regardless of my opinion or my feelings. She sought Rumpelstiltskin's advice—told him Emma's name—against my express wishes. And I didn't even know we were having a girl! She just never treated me as her equal. At best, I was her favorite sidekick. Though, that title might actually belong to Ruby," he admitted with a mirthless chuckle.

"With you," he said intently, savoring the feel of her within his arms, "You treat me like I can contribute, like you value my opinion and my abilities. And, goodness, Regina, when you confide in me, when you let me support you, I feel honored that you trust me in that way."

Regina was spellbound and frozen in place. If not for the magical hum buzzing between them, David would have thought she was a sculpture.

Too many thoughts warred for prominence in Regina's mind. _Snow White and Prince Charming would have stopped working even without her interference? Not that anyone in town—or Henry—would ever believe that. David just wanted a family. Like her. And they work so well together. But she loved Daniel. Who had told her to love again. But what if her mother rose from the dead, came to Storybrooke, and ripped out David's heart? Ludicrous—Cora was dead—but could she trust herself not to unleash her grief in torrents of pain on everyone in Storybrooke? Could she be Henry's mom and risk this kind of loss again?_

Regina's eyes went wide with fear, and she wretched herself from his grasp. In a disinterested, patronizing tone he recognized from Mayor Mills, she said, "Well, it sounds like you and Snow will have a lot to work out when she comes back."

"Regina," David bit back his irritation. He didn't need Archie's curse-induced medical knowledge to recognize her fear of getting hurt. Recognizing that fear, however, didn't make it any less frustrating to deal with. Seeing her mayorial mask firmly in place, he sighed. "Fine," he said. If she wanted to close off, he couldn't stop her. It didn't mean that he was going to stop demonstrating his sincerity, though. He took two long strides forward and kissed her solidly on the lips. Then, just as abruptly, he turned to face the sink.

"I'll finish the dishes," he stated. "You might want to go check on Henry, who, hopefully, is still in his room angry at me for banishing him there."

Unaccustomed to taking orders, but eager to remove herself from David's confusing presence, Regina mutely left the kitchen.

xxxxx

Henry was so excited. His mom said he could help with Operation Boomerang! He was going to help get his mom and Snow back. And she was going to teach him some magic! And not evil magic, but good magic. Like a beacon, she said. So that Snow and Emma could find their way back to Storybrooke.

He was the Boomerang Beacon!

He knew he could do it. Just like he knew he could find Emma in Boston. He always knew he was a hero. After all, he was the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming, and the son of the Savior. That couldn't be for nothing, right?

xxxxx

Regina came back downstairs. She had left Henry scouring his Book for details about magic before their first lesson later.

She sighed. He was so excited. And he hadn't even used magic yet. What would happen once he felt that power? Would he be able to leave it behind?

She tried to shake off the sense of foreboding. She couldn't go back now, not now that she'd told him.

Which, if she was being honest with herself, was why she hadn't waited any longer to do it. The 'wrong thing' was always so tempting.

She heard David putting the remaining dishes away in the kitchen.

At least Henry performing the spell meant she wouldn't have to see David as much, and hopefully never alone. No good could come from their continued association. He may think the true love magic meant they should try to be together, but she knew the truth; it meant that they needed to stop whatever it was immediately.

There was no happy ending for them. He was just confused and letting the magic go to his head.

Luckily for the both of them, she'd been subjected to magic much longer. All this magic meant was that, when Prince Charming woke up from this shared dream of theirs—probably by Snow White's kiss upon her return home—she would be devastated, rather than merely hurt.

That was, of course, assuming she would even be around to see it.

xxxxx

_**A/N: I know I'm not the first, and I'm sure I won't be the last to use the "they wake up in each other's arms" plot device, but can you really blame me? It's just so much fun.**_

_**Reviews, as always, are appreciated and helpful. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far—it means a lot to me.**_

_**I'll try to have the next chapter up within a week, but I can't promise. Life is getting hectic . . . .**_


	19. Stability

_**A/N: Short installment here, but I wanted to post something for you, and I'm feeling a time crunch. I hope you like it. The good news (hopefully)—we're not as close to the end as I thought, especially if I continue to post shorter chapters. As previously promised, I'll let you know when we're two away from the end.**_

* * *

Regina was at her wits' end. She had showered, changed into fresh clothes, and taken extra care with her hair and make-up. Part of being put together was looking put together, after all.

Though she was far from it.

She had to get this man out of her house.

David was slowly, but surely, driving her insane.

She had briefed him on what she had told Henry about his role in retrieving Ms. Swan and Snow—they did, after all, need to provide a consistent message to Henry. Teaching him to wield such powerful magic was going to be dangerous enough without her precocious son deciding he smelled a secret and needed to investigate.

She had hoped that, by the time she returned downstairs, David would be ready to go back to his apartment to shower and change and, well, leave. Instead, she found him outside with Henry, hard at work fixing the support beams of her front porch. And not only was he being helpful, he was looking damn good doing it.

Gone was the mangy flannel, revealing a perfectly-fitted grey t-shirt over strong, toned muscles. He held a hammer, and his hands—they were calloused, capable. God, she'd always loved a man with good hands. She flushed, and her impatience flared.

Why was he still here? If he was allowing her to give Henry riding lessons unsupervised, surely he could leave her son here for a few hours while he Went. Somewhere. Else.

He may think that heartfelt speeches and a few good kisses could bridge the gulf between them, but she knew better. If they actually attempted any kind of romantic relationship, the only result would be disaster. The town would shun them—they would blame her, but they would still shun him—and he would inevitably begin to resent her and then despise her. And that would just be the town, not to mention Henry's reaction or how hurt David would be when he lost Emma's trust and broke Snow's heart.

All for something that wouldn't last.

Of course, it would be much easier to be sensible about their situation if he would stop with the sexy handyman routine. And when he smiled at her like that . . . oh boy. She was in trouble.

David smirked slightly at her reaction and took advantage of her temporary lack of composure.

"Hey, kiddo," David addressed Henry. "How would you feel about us moving in with your mom for a while? At least until Snow and Emma are back?"

Henry looked from one adult to the other. His grandfather was up to something, and his mom looked shocked. He knew she wanted him back, though, and after everything that had happened, he'd feel better if he knew she was safe. And he missed his mom's cooking. Mary Margaret had been the only one of his other family that could turn on a stove without also making the fire alarm go off. It would be nice to have something other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch at school.

"Sure," he said excitedly, smiling at his mom. "It will be nice to be together again."

Regina returned her son's smile through suspiciously watery eyes. _Her son wanted to come home._

"Henry," David said. "Could you go to the garage and find the level?"

"Yeah!" Henry said, scampering away from the adults and across the lawn. His mom never let him help fix stuff. She always did it herself. Or hired someone. Maybe with David here, he could actually hammer a few nails or something.

Regina took several steps forward, eradicating the personal space of the prince, who was looking far too pleased with himself. "Us?" she hissed. "I'm thrilled—confused, but thrilled—that you're letting Henry move back in, but it sounded like you plan on moving in too. What, exactly, would give you that idea?" she demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest. She and David needed to be spending less time together, not more.

"You said that the success of children doing magic has to do with their emotional stability. Splitting Henry between us doesn't seem very stable, at least in the short-run," David responded, as though this logic was his only motivation. "His room is here. This environment is more familiar—"

"You've made a compelling case for why Henry should stay here," Regina interrupted. "A point upon which you could hardly expect me to disagree. What I still don't understand is why you think you're staying too."

"The town would hardly understand if I just let Henry move back in," David replied with more confidence than Regina appreciated.

"Oh, because they'd really appreciate you shacking up with the Evil Queen instead?" she scoffed.

"I'll explain the situation with Henry and magic to Granny and Ruby," David said. "Once they understand, they can help convince the rest of the town, if it's necessary."

"Fine," Regina said, but the hard edge to her tone alerted David to the possibility that the cost of winning this battle had been higher than he expected. Her next words confirmed his fear.

"Let me make one thing abundantly clear, Charming," Regina sneered his fairytale name. "You will not put me on the spot like that in front of my son ever again. Do you understand me?"

"Regina, I . . ." David didn't know what to say. He had expected irritation—to have a little fun at her expense, but he hadn't expected this level of malevolence.

"Do you understand me?" Regina repeated.

"Yes," David replied. The Mayor was back. Just what had this little prank cost him?

"Good," Regina said. "You can have the guestroom at the end of the hall. I expect to see as little of you as possible." With that, she re-entered the house and shut the door behind her.

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_**A/N: Please review. Coming attractions: Just how will David explain himself to Granny and Red?**_


	20. Delaying

_**A/N: Another scene on the shorter side in an effort not to keep you waiting too long for an update. Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story. It means a lot to me that others also enjoy this little universe! Your feedback is really helpful too. A review from chapter 3 ended up affecting chapter 10!**_

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David sighed over the menu. He'd stopped by Mary Margaret and Emma's apartment to shower, change, and get together some things for his and Henry's stay at Regina's. He was now delaying his return by having lunch at the diner.

"Electra Woman not with you today?" Ruby asked, irritably rubbing her lips.

David couldn't help a small laugh at the imagery the popped into his mind from that question, but his moodiness returned with his answer, "No."

"Want your usual?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, please," David replied.

Ruby nodded, walked away and placed the order, and then immediately returned to take the seat opposite him in the booth.

"What is going on?" Ruby demanded.

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"I mean," Ruby said, already exasperated, "You've been hanging around with the Evil Queen for over a week now. It's like you guys are friends or something! The Evil Queen, James. The woman who ripped all of us from our lives without our consent and held us in a prison made of time and amnesia for thirty years—and that's just the most recent horrible thing she has done!"

Ruby desperately searched David's face for some sign that his friendliness with Regina was all just a trick, a deception on his part, to rescue Snow, but all she saw was sadness. That would not do. "And then," she continued, further angered by his lack of reaction, "Yesterday you decided to become her drinking buddy? What the hell is wrong with you James? And what the hell was that whole kiss-bet-electroshock treatment about?"

David sighed. Ruby was one of Snow's longest and staunchest allies, and therefore one of his. He was so tempted to confide in her and tell her everything about the mess he found himself in—thinking he would have to perform magic, triggering this magical connection between himself and Regina, uncovering that he and Snow were not each other's true loves in the way that everyone thought, discovering that he was head over heels in love with his wife's greatest adversary, and finding out that his grandson would have to perform some Very Big Magic to get his wife and daughter home. He so wanted to share this with a friend, someone who would listen to him and support him without judging the mistakes he made along the way.

As he looked into Ruby's expectant face, however, his faith was reaffirmed. The person he wanted to talk to wasn't his oldest ally, but his newest. He wanted to talk to Regina.

The fact that he wanted to talk to her about her complicated matters, but he wasn't going to let that detail stand in his way—at least, not for long.

Ruby wanted—and deserved—some answers though. "Is it too late to make my burger to go?" David asked her. "And add a Caesar chicken salad, chicken fingers, and curly fries?"

Ruby huffed in irritation and got up. "Okay, but I want an explanation when I get back," she gave him a mildly threatening look. "And, if I'm not satisfied with your answers, I'm losing my cloak the next full moon and knocking on your door."

David had to smile.

Several minutes later, Ruby returned and placed his carryout order on the table. "Now, spill," she demanded.

"Is Granny here?" David asked. "I'd rather only go through this once."

David was beginning to think Ruby was deliberately ignoring his question, when Granny materialized at his side and sat down next to Ruby.

"Hurry up," Granny said, as David tried to understand how she could know they wanted to talk to her. "I need to get back in the kitchen."

"Wolf hearing," David said, more to himself, finally figuring out how she'd known to come to the dining room. "Right."

"I know that neither of you are fans of Regina's," David began, "but I really need you two to give her—and the idea of working with her—a chance."

Ruby sighed irritably. She and David had been through this at the start of the full moon when she grudgingly agreed to help them get information on how Rumpelstiltskin returned magic to Storybrooke. She still wasn't thrilled with the idea of working with Regina, especially since whatever their "bet" was yesterday had chapped her lips rather badly.

"Cut the crap, David," Ruby said. "What's going on?"

"Regina offered to help on the magical end of things to get back Emma and Snow, and it seemed like our best option," David explained. "Since we've been working together, it's been clear that she was the right choice." At Ruby's skeptical expression, he continued, "She tore her house upside down looking for ways for us to bring them back."

"And," he took a deep, fortifying breath, "When King George destroyed the hat, she was the one that encouraged me not to give up. She's the one that thought of another and yet another way to get them home. Without her, any attempts on my part to bring them back would have ended with the hat."

Granny's expression was giving away nothing, but she had heard an underlying admiration in the king's voice as he talked about the fallen queen.

Ruby was more expressive. "So we're supposed to be friends with her now? What do you want from us, James?"

"It's David now, Ruby," he replied. "And I'm not asking you to be friends with her; I'm asking you to accept that she is on our team." To prevent further protests from his wife's best ally, he kept speaking. "I need you to accept this, because the rest of the town may begin to panic, and I need you both to help me prevent that. Earlier this week, Regina began training me in magic."

Granny's eyebrow shot to her forehead, and Ruby gasped, "Magic? Ja—David, magic? That's just what we need. Queen Snow is missing, and her husband develops a magic addiction and apprentices himself to the Evil Queen. Fantastic. I can't believe you thought the town would panic over this," Ruby finished sarcastically.

"Ruby, it's not like that," David said. He realized, however, that Ruby's unhappiness with his magical association with Regina was a mere shadow of how upset she would be should she find out about his romantic intentions toward the sorceress. "And, actually, I'm not practicing magic anymore. Initially, because of how Gold returned magic to Storybrooke, Regina thought that I was going to have to perform the spell to call Emma and Snow home."

"But now?" Granny asked.

"Now, she thinks Henry will have to do it," David said.

"David," Ruby said sympathetically. "How do you know this isn't all one big trick by Regina to corrupt Henry with magic and disappear with him?"

"Because I saw her, Ruby," David asserted, fiercely. "I saw her when she told me that Henry would have to do this, and she was devastated. All she wanted was to keep her son far, far away from the magic that destroyed her life, and—despite every selfish instinct in her body—she convinced me that we should let Henry decide whether he wanted to try or not."

"Without her," David continued quietly, "I wouldn't have even known Henry was an option. I would have given up."

Ruby was stunned into silence by David's impassioned defense of Regina's motives. Granny, while taken aback by the intensity of the prince's words, was less surprised by their content, having been observing the evolving relationship between the prince and the former queen closely ever since Ruby's framing.

"And you want us to keep the town from storming her house with pitchforks when they notice that she's teaching Henry magic?" Granny asked.

"Yes," David affirmed. "Especially since Henry and I will be living there until we get Snow and Emma back."

"What?" Ruby yelled.

"Ruby, hush," Granny instructed, shooting a look at her customers that clearly indicated that they should mind their own business. She then turned her formidable gaze upon David. "Explain yourself."

"Regina told me that it is less dangerous for kids to perform magic the more emotionally stable they are. And, no, Ruby, I don't have another source for this information, but it makes sense. Think about it. Do you remember any child mages from back home?" Ruby reluctantly shook her head. "I thought it would be more stable for Henry if he lived in the room where he grew up while preparing for this spell. I also thought it would upset him less if he didn't feel like he had to choose between his two families. And, quite frankly, if Henry develops some bizarre and frightening side effect from using magic, I want to be as close to Regina as possible, because she will know what to do and I won't." He looked into Ruby's eyes. "Whatever other motivations you think she has, you know as well as I do that her first one is Henry's welfare. This is the best choice."

Ruby absorbed David's explanation while Granny asked, "How's her neck? Do those bruises have anything to do with your dabbling in magic? Because from where I sit, it looked like someone tried to strangle her."

Granny's appraising eye caught the prince's brief sorrowful look as he began his abridged explanation, "Those bruises have gotten uglier, but she's healing." _I hope_, he thought. "Someone did try to strangle her, but it didn't have anything to do with Operation Boomerang—Henry's name for our mission to retrieve Emma and Snow—and the perpetrator has been dealt with." _Sort of._

"Figures it was unrelated," Ruby had found her voice. "We could make a _ton_ of money at the Miner's Day Festival if we let people pay to line up to strangle Regina."

"Cut it out, Ruby," David said, with surprising vehemence. "You don't have to like her, but she's become a dear friend to me, so knock it off."

Ruby was flabbergasted. The last time she'd heard David take that tone, he was directing his anger toward the Evil Queen rather than in her defense. Everything in Storybrooke felt wrongside up. Maybe Emma hadn't broken the curse after all; maybe this was the next phase of it.

David grimly observed Ruby's shocked expression. He hadn't meant to lash out at her like that, but he was tired of fighting obstinacy with logic. For the first time, he really understood why Regina didn't bother trying to develop relationships with anyone in Storybrooke besides Henry.

As upset as her granddaughter was, Granny was proud of the prince. It was about time he stood up for what was truly important to him. Prince Charming had always been brash, but the David sitting before her was certain and confident. Maybe Storybrooke wasn't as leaderless as everyone feared.

"Fine. Whatever," Ruby replied petulantly. "Not like she electrocuted you yesterday or anything."

"I'm sorry about that, Ruby," David said sincerely. "I should have figured out where Regina was going with that, but I was too concerned with everything else that happened that morning that I just wasn't thinking."

"Okay, so I blame you too," Ruby said, her patience gone. "Just what the hell was that?"

David sighed. Withholding information had always felt the same as lying to him, and he didn't like doing it. But, he didn't feel like fighting with Ruby any longer either. And what was the point of defending his and Regina's relationship if she refused to let them have one?

"It was part a magical test Regina and I ran. You confirmed that Henry, rather than I, would have to perform the retrieval spell."

"Kissing me verified that Henry would have to do magic instead of you?" Ruby asked incredulously.

David looked to Granny, but her expression was skeptical as well. He sighed again. This was exhausting. At least he'd gotten a good night's sleep for the first time in two weeks.

In Regina's arms.

Which wasn't likely to happen again after his 'moving in' stunt.

"You're right, Ruby," David acknowledged. "There is more to it, but I've told you what is relevant to our current situation—our attempt to bring back Emma and Snow."

"Our current situation?" Ruby was ready to throttle her best friend's husband. "Our current situation is your new whatever-it-is with the Evil Queen! You may be worried about getting Snow and Emma back; I am too. But I'm also worried about what Snow is going to be coming back to."

Ruby's forthright concern for his wife and Granny's silent appraisal plagued David with guilt. He had meant every word he said to Regina about a natural and eventual end of his marriage with Snow, but he still cared deeply for his wife, and he knew better than anyone, maybe even better than Snow herself, exactly how much his defection to Regina would hurt her.

The un-intentionality of the whole situation, even on Regina's part, was more likely to pour salt on the wound rather than make Snow feel any better.

Some of this train of thought must have flickered across his face, because Granny gave a slight nod and spoke, "Back to work, Ruby. That's quite enough for today." Granny then pulled her granddaughter out of the booth with her and gave her a light shove toward the register.

But Granny didn't walk away. Instead she spoke quietly, but firmly to the prince. "Whatever you did, fix it."

"What?" David asked. _How could she know?_

"I don't know what you did," Granny stated. "I don't know what you are or are not doing with that very dangerous woman, and I don't want to know." Her expression became more firm when David opened his mouth to interrupt. "It seems that you've gone and gotten yourself caught in a spot of stupid-shaped trouble, and now that you've let it happen, you have to fix it."

David attempted to protest again, but Granny continued to speak. "You fix it," she commanded. "I don't feel like being sucked through another dimensional portal. It took me years to make this diner run like clockwork, and I am way too old to have to learn yet another trade. So go fix whatever stupid thing you did."

"How do you know it was me?"

"You ordered the Caesar salad. Everyone knows that's the preferred salad for apologies," Granny said.

At David's confused look, she said, "I just know. Now, go and apologize."

Though her tone brooked no argument, Granny's eyes conveyed understanding and a bit of sympathy as she handed him the bag of food. Then, she clapped him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Good luck." _You're going to need it_.

"Thanks," David replied, squaring his shoulders and exiting the diner. It was time to face the music.

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_**A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews get printed on multi-colored paper and hung on my fridge. Does anyone else think it's time for Henry to start doing some magic?**_


	21. Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

David knocked on the front door and then entered Regina's house, determined to appear calm. His experience with the tempestuous woman had taught him that nervousness would only irritate her further.

Heading into the kitchen with the food from Granny's, he found Henry bent intensely over loose-leaf paper and a textbook.

"Hey, kiddo," David said, ruffling Henry's hair. "What are you working on? Where's your mom?"

Henry didn't even look up as he continued to write. "Mom's in the dining room with Astrid. She said that doing magic might be exhausting, so I need to get three chapters ahead in math before we can start practicing."

"That makes sense," David said, setting the food on the counter.

"I guess," Henry replied. "She showed me a trick to make the long division easier, so that's making it go faster."

"Your mom is really smart," David observed. "Astrid is here?"

"Yep," Henry said. "Maybe you should go say hi . . . so I can finish my work."

"Sorry, buddy," David said. "I'll get out of your way."

xxxxx

David heard the light sound of Regina's laughter as he approached the entryway to her office. Reflexively, he felt himself relax in response to its genuine nature. He was relieved that their argument this morning hadn't pushed Regina into a complete reversion into Mayor Mills, however much she might continue to freeze him out—as least she was still allowing someone to see the woman underneath the power. He couldn't help but hope that he could re-earn that privilege in time. Enthralled as he was with Regina, she was so much more than the trite woman of his dreams. She was the woman of his reality. Somehow, they had become allies, partners. And he wasn't prepared to give that up.

When he reached the doorway, he was greeted with the pleasant sight of Regina and Astrid chatting merrily on the loveseat, tea cups and books scattered on the coffee table in front of them. He wished Regina would laugh more often. She was always beautiful, but when she laughed she was positively luminous. David didn't know why Astrid was there, but, as far as he was concerned, she could stay there forever as long as she made Regina laugh like that.

His perfect picture only lasted for the moment before Regina's eye flitted up and spotted him perched in the doorway. Her laughter died in her throat, a spark of hurt flashed in her eyes, and then the politely charming mask of the mayor was back in place. "David," she said. "Back so soon?" she fought to keep her voice neutral.

David cleared his throat, "Yes. Hello, Astrid, nice to see you." He turned his attention back to Regina. "I thought you and Henry might need lunch, so I picked some up from Granny's. I'm sorry, Astrid, I didn't know you were going to be here, or I would have ordered something for you too."

"Oh, it's all right. Dreamy is grilling tonight, and it's always delicious," Astrid said through a beaming smile.

"Dreamy?" David asked.

"Oh, sorry. Grumpy, or Leroy," Astrid corrected. "I knew him as Dreamy."

Seeing Regina had not made any move in response to his peace offering and not wanting to aggravate her further by staying where he was undoubtedly unwelcome, David bowed his head slightly in salutation and said, "I'll leave you ladies to it then. May I reheat the chicken fingers for Henry, Regina?"

"Of course," Regina replied with a tight smile, but David noticed, sadly, that it was devoid of its previous honesty. As he turned to go, Regina added, "You can come back, David." At his confused expression, she continued, "You can join us when you're ready." She was clearly uncomfortable extending the invitation, David was relieved to note that her mask of indifference wasn't staying on as easily as it used to.

"I'd love to," he replied with his Charming smile.

Astrid's interest was piqued. Dreamy had told her about the pair of them asleep together just that morning when he dropped off Henry, but the tension that thickened in the air with David's presence made two things clear to her. The first was that the prince was in the doghouse for some reason. The second was that they were clearly still fighting their mutual attraction.

This would be an interesting afternoon.

"I heard something interesting yesterday," Astrid said innocently.

"Oh?" Regina asked. She had invited the former fairy over for specific, Operation Boomerang-related questions but had found herself enjoying the other woman's company. Astrid seemed willing to see her as a person, which was . . . different.

"I heard," there was now a teasing tone to Astrid's voice, "that Ruby kissed David at the diner yesterday, and he wound up stunned on the floor."

Regina suddenly found her teacup fascinating.

"It is true!" Astrid exclaimed, excited. She had suspected that the queen and the prince were a true love match ever since she and Dreamy had helped with them with the diagnosis spell, but having it confirmed made it that much more _real_.

Regina looked up from the teacup in shock. "You don't hate me?" She spoke the words before she had a chance to filter them. "For coming between Snow White and Prince Charming?"

"Of course I don't hate you," Astrid said. "Dreamy and I know better than most that we don't choose who we fall in love with. And even if you did this on purpose, I'm grateful to you for giving Dreamy and I our second chance. We wouldn't be together if not for you."

Regina was completely stunned. She had expected unequivocal hatred from everyone who found out about the change in David's affections from the girl she'd targeted to herself. Being confronted with evidence that there was even one person who not only didn't hate her, but might actually be on her side, was overwhelming.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Astrid smiled brightly in response. "So why are you mad at him?"

"What?" Regina asked, startled.

"Please," Astrid said, "I don't need any magical fairy super-powers to read the emotions radiating from each of you."

"That man has had a bad influence on my poker face," Regina observed darkly.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Astrid replied. "So what did he do?"

Regina sighed. She didn't like putting her private life on display, but the whole town would know soon enough anyway. And talking to Astrid felt like what she imagined talking to a friend might feel like. It was nice. "He invited himself and Henry to move in with me until Ms. Swan and Snow return."

"Oh," Astrid said, confused. "That sounds like a good thing. Why are you mad at him?"

"He did it in front of Henry a couple hours after I told him to work it out with Snow," Regina explained, her anger with David re-emerging.

Astrid winced. "Men are dense, sometimes," she told the queen.

Regina huffed in agreement. "Indeed."

"Has he apologized?" Astrid asked.

Regina shook her head, "No, but he hasn't had the chance, either."

"I'm sure he will. That's probably why he brought back lunch." Astrid said.

Regina nodded, though she disagreed with Astrid's last statement. David would have picked up lunch for the three of them even if they hadn't fought. He was thoughtful that way.

"But," Astrid's brow was furrowed in confusion, "Why do you want him to work it out with Snow? I don't know any of you very well, but you and David seem to . . . fit, like Dreamy and me. Why would you want to push away so precious a gift?"

Regina was spared from answering by the reappearance of David. "What did I miss?" he asked.

Astrid's mouth gaped like a guppy, but Regina was more practiced at misdirection, her composure sliding into place as she responded, "I invited Astrid over to help set everything up for Henry to learn magic."

As she spoke, David had taken the chair nearest Regina's position on the loveseat. "Great," he said sincerely. The more help, the better, he thought. "What do we need to do?"

Regina's heart fluttered at his earnestness and his unshakable faith that, despite her anger from the morning, they were still a team. The warmth that spread through her at that realization was treacherous. She needed to keep him at arms' length. But how could she, when he was so, well, charming?

Deciding to focus on Astrid, Regina addressed the former fairy, "As I mentioned earlier, the results of our magical science experiment from the other day indicate that Henry will have to perform the retrieval spell to bring back Ms. Swan and Snow. For obvious reasons, this makes me extremely nervous. I was wondering if you had any knowledge of children performing magic from our land, maybe something that could help us keep Henry safe." Not observing any sign from Astrid that she had any anecdotes, Regina cast a wider net—any piece of information could help Henry. "Maybe even something that we should know not to do?"

Astrid just shook her head sadly. "All I know is what the Blue Fairy always told all of us. We were to perform appropriate magical favors for the children we were assigned to help, but we were never allowed to teach, encourage, or permit any of them to perform magic on their own. Occasionally, we could leave them in possession of a magical object of some sort, but she always told us that it would be much too dangerous for any child to do magic." Astrid shifted uncomfortably and nervously met Regina's eyes, "And I'm sorry, but I was always too intimidated by her to ask any questions about why, even though I wanted to know. And I never heard of anyone breaking that rule, so I don't think I can be of any help."

Astrid appeared distressed at her inability to provide more informative answers. Regina firmly squeezed Astrid's hand in her own. "Don't say that," the queen said sincerely. "You have helped. Now we know that David needs to talk to his old friend, Blue. And, Astrid," Regina ducked her head to make eye contact with the self-conscious woman, "I would still like your help with a couple other pieces of this project, if you're willing." Not for the first time, Regina wanted to smack that self-righteous blue dragonfly.

Astrid smiled, "Yes, I'd love to help."

"Good," Regina smiled, and patted her hand. She then looked to David, forgetting that she had told herself to be angry with him, and asked, "Would you please call her?"

David sighed, "The last time Blue and I spoke, it didn't end well."

Regina quirked an eyebrow in question.

"I confronted her about her deception with August and Emma and the wardrobe, and it wasn't pretty."

"Ah," Regina said in understanding. "I'm sorry, dear," Regina said, surprised to find she meant it. As much as she hated that officious wasp, she knew that David had considered her a trusted ally, and that betrayal had to hurt. "If you could," Regina looked sorry for what she was about to ask him, "please call her anyway?"

David did not look happy with the idea. "I just don't think I'll get much out of her."

"I know manipulation grates against your noble intentions, dear," Regina said, "But I think you could use the guilt she must feel over that wardrobe situation to our advantage. I think she would tell you whatever she knows this time, in an effort to win back your trust."

David looked squeamish at the idea. Regina was right; such machinations were not to his taste.

"I don't like it," David said.

"You don't have to manipulate her if you don't want to, David," Regina said. "You probably won't have to. But we're talking about Henry's safety, and I do not want to leave a single stone unturned. And, given that she was the first person to threaten my life when the curse broke, I don't think she's going to tell me anything. She hates me too much."

"She threatened you?" David bristled.

"Yes, dear," Regina smiled tightly and patted his arm, their familiar magical hum taking the edge off her next statement. "As did you and the rest of the town, as I recall. We don't need to get into that. The bottom line is that you are our best chance at finding out if the Blue Fairy knows anything we need to know."

David's brow had knit in consternation at her reminder that he had wanted to kill her only two weeks ago. _Thank the gods I wasn't able to._ He sighed, "What should I ask?"

Astrid was watching the exchange with interest. Even more than when she'd asked the question, she now wished the queen had answered it. Why didn't she want to pursue a relationship with this man? Especially since she already had one?

"Start generally," Regina said. "Just ask her what she knows about children performing magic. She may talk enough after just this question to make follow-ups unnecessary. If not, however, please ask her if 'buffering' is the most significant challenge to safe child mages or if there is another aspect of the magic that is troubling. Obviously, we'd like as much detail as possible, and specific examples, if she has any."

David nodded. He'd worked with Regina long enough to realize that her compulsive attention to detail in all aspects of her life served her well with magic. "What do I say when she asks me why I want to know all of this?" He looked at her. They both knew that Operation Boomerang, while not top secret, was still best left as a need-to-know project. The town still didn't trust Regina, and Snow had been the figurehead of the government. While David's presence kept a tenuous peace, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that their King dabbling in magic with the Evil Queen would blast it apart.

Regina shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you to lie to your friend, David. What you say when she asks that is your decision."

He nodded soberly. "Okay, I'll step out and call her now. Oh, and I put your salad in the fridge."

"Thank you," she said with a small smile.

As soon as David was out of earshot, Astrid turned to Regina, "I have nothing against Snow, but for what reason are you sending that gorgeous man who loves you back to his estranged wife?"

Regina blushed slightly at Astrid's casual way of mentioning David's love for her. It made it more real, hearing someone else say it.

"How familiar are you with buffering?" Regina asked. She had to stay focused on Henry and Operation Boomerang. Contemplating her relationship, whatever it was, with David, was a rabbit hole she needed to save for another day.

"Changing the subject, I see. I suppose I'll allow you to get away with it this time," Astrid teased. She didn't know what Dreamy had been so worried about when Regina called and asked her to come over. Regina had been nothing but kind to her, and, if Astrid wasn't mistaken, the woman in front of her wasn't at all like the cold front she put up around everyone else; she was just a woman in need of a friend.

Astrid could relate to that.

"I know the basics," Astrid answered. "I know that buffering is a fundamental skill that anyone must acquire in order to survive performing magic. It diminishes the negative physical impact of magic on the body."

"Well, now you're just quoting Aristotle's _Metaphysica_," Regina teased. "But, yes, that is my understanding as well. That a person can perform magic without proper buffering, but that person is unlikely to survive the experience."

Astrid nodded in agreement.

"Are you familiar with surrogate buffering?" Regina asked.

"I've heard of it, but isn't it really dangerous?" Astrid asked.

"If done improperly," Regina replied, the confidence in her voice shading toward the arrogance of the Evil Queen. Then, returning to a more solicitous tone, she asked, "Would you like to see it set up?"

"Oh, yes!" Astrid said excitedly. Regina was so organized about her magic. It was so easy to learn from her.

xxxxx

David paused in the doorway to the kitchen observing the scene in front of him. Regina stood in front of a simmering pot, flanked by Astrid on her left and Henry—on a stepstool—on her right. All three were staring intently into the pot as Regina carefully stirred the concoction with a wooden spoon that she held perpendicular to the stove. He felt his heart warm at the scene. Not five days ago, he had used her house to hide from the town, knowing full well that no one, including Henry, wanted to be in The Evil Queen's company. While the majority of the town would still prefer to witness her public execution, Astrid and Henry were evidence that Regina was so much more than her Evil Queen history.

The woman was astounding. And she was setting the oven timer over a pot emitting wisps of lavender steam.

She turned to Henry and watched him dismount the stepstool, clearly ready to catch him if he fell. "And now, we wait for a bit," she told her protégés. Her posture became more rigid when she then noticed David in the doorway, but otherwise she did not betray her discomfort. "Was she helpful?" Regina could not quite keep all of her derision out of the word "she."

David glanced at Henry, concerned about sharing too much with his grandson. Deciding that the adventurous boy would benefit from hearing about the seriousness of the situation, he replied, "If you consider being told to immediately stop doing whatever I was considering doing helpful, then, yes, she was helpful."

Regina scoffed, her irritation at the Blue Fairy apparent. David fully entered the room and continued, "She told me that 'magic should not be performed by children' and that we are being 'grossly irresponsible' for even considering such a thing." The prince's matter-of-fact delivery belied his aggravation at his former friend's gall at lecturing him. She, of all people, did not have any right to counsel him on how to protect his family.

As if reading his thoughts, Regina briefly squeezed his hand in empathy. "Thank you for making that call," she said. "Did she have anything more specific to add to the dangers we need to address?" She removed her hand, recalling that she was still angry with him.

"Like you expected, she mentioned buffering, but other than that, the only other thing she did was scold me for working with you," David told her.

Before Regina had finished mentally flinching at this sentiment, however unsurprising, David continued, "I told her that I was working with someone whose motives I know, someone I trust." It was with conscious effort that David did not reach out to touch Regina, to hold her and make sure she understood just how much he valued her. But, he had forced himself into her space once already that day; he would not do it again.

Regina was more affected than she cared to admit. Even though he had done it before, hearing David stand up for her moved her. That he would think she was worth defending, even advocating, struck a chord deep within her that had long been still and silent.

Not trusting her voice, Regina nodded in response and granted David a small smile.

"But Mom," Henry's voice broke the moment. "If the Blue Fairy thinks that we shouldn't do it, shouldn't we listen to her? She's always right in my book, and she is, like, the leader of the good guys."

Regina glanced at David whose jaw was clenched in anger, doubtlessly due to the so-called "leader of the good guys's" betrayal in regards to the number of people that could travel through the wardrobe. Feeling some solidarity that she wasn't the only person in the room that didn't think the cerulean pixie belonged on the pedestal about which she buzzed, Regina curbed her instinct to snap at the recurrence of Henry's overly simple classification system: good and evil.

"Henry," Regina said in her patented tone of attempted patience, "The Blue Fairy hasn't always been honest with us—"

"Of course she wouldn't be honest with you," Henry exclaimed. "You're the Evil Queen."

"Henry!" Regina was surprised to hear that Astrid was the person admonishing her son. "You shouldn't call your mother that."

"But she is," Henry said, shrugging his shoulders. His mom was trying to change, but she couldn't change her past_._

"Henry," Astrid said calmly. "As Nova, I heard many stories about many places and many people. Now, I don't know what this book is that makes you so strong in your convictions, but I do know that listening to only one person's perspective on a story is a really good way to not learn much."

"But my book . . ." Henry weakly protested.

"Who wrote it?" Astrid asked curiously.

"Umm," Henry was embarrassed; he did not have any idea whose work he was treating like truth. "It was right about Emma," he asserted defensively.

"Look, kiddo," David intervened, "Even if everything in your book is true, it can't possibly have all of the stories about all of the people from the Enchanted Forest in it. Such a book would be much too large to fit in your backpack. So how about thinking outside the box or, in this case, the book?"

Henry sighed, "Okay."

"And we've talked about the 'Evil Queen' issue before," David looked at his grandson meaningfully.

"I know. I'm sorry, Mom," Henry said sincerely, if somewhat begrudgingly at having to apologize. "I know that you're helping now. And I'm glad."

"Thank you, Henry," Regina said. "Labels of good and evil aside, you don't have to do this, Henry, if you don't want to."

"No, I do," Henry affirmed. "I want to help." He was also eager to investigate the purple steam and more of this magic that his mother could do. It couldn't be all bad if it was supposed to get Emma and Mary Margaret back, right?

"Okay," Regina tried to smile, but the expression didn't quite reach her eyes. Nothing about her son performing magic, especially to get back Snow White and her offspring, could be considered an occasion for happiness. "Do you have it?" Regina asked Astrid.

"Yes," Astrid nodded excitedly as she handed a small pouch to Regina.

"Thank you," Regina's smile was more genuine this time. "David, I asked Astrid to bring a diamond from the mines," she explained as she withdrew the large chunk of diamond from the pouch and examined it closely. "Do you have any objection to us using this for Operation Boomerang?" Henry's beaming expression at her use of their mission's codename warmed her heart; she'd use a litany of ridiculous codenames if it would keep him that happy.

"If it can help us, let's use it," David said, grateful that Regina went through the formality of asking for his permission, since they both knew he would never object to anything that helped Regina and Henry stay safe while retrieving the rest of his family.

"This diamond is nearly perfect, Astrid," Regina said. "Excellent choice."

Astrid blushed at the other woman's compliment. Dreamy had teased her when she agonized over which gem to bring, but she was determined not to make a mess of the simple, yet important task that Regina had entrusted to her.

"Are you familiar with linking talismans?" Regina asked the former fairy.

"I am," Astrid replied.

"Would you like to make one?" Regina asked.

Astonished, Astrid replied, "Me? Are you sure?"

"Your magic is strong enough," Regina replied. "And, as you know, linking spells work better when they are performed by someone not party to the linking."

Astrid nodded thoughtfully. "And you want to be linked to Henry."

"Yes," Regina affirmed. "But one-way. I want him to be linked to me, but not I don't want to link to him."

Startled, Astrid almost objected, but stopped herself when she remembered Henry's presence. She knew as well as Regina that upsetting Henry when he needed to perform magic could be dangerous for everyone. Instead of protesting, Astrid settled for replying, "This is what you meant by surrogate buffering. A one-way linking." She was once again impressed with Regina's innovation with magic, but that did not alleviate her concern. "Are you sure?"

Regina nodded. "Will you do it?"

"If you insist," Astrid said.

"Good," Regina replied. "Because the timer is about to go off."

She hadn't finished her sentence when the oven began beeping.

Handing the diamond back to Astrid, Regina addressed Henry, "I'm sorry, Henry, but this spell requires blood from each of us."

Mimicking the bravery he expected a knight to have, Henry said, "It's okay, Mom."

She gave him a reassuring smile and said, "We'll just prick your finger. A couple drops should be plenty."

Regina opened the drawer next to the oven, revealing first aid supplies. She handed a band-aide to David and removed a sterilized sewing needle. Suddenly, she pricked Henry's index finger.

"Ouch!" Henry exclaimed, but he was clearly more startled than hurt.

"Sorry, sweetie," Regina said. "But the anticipation hurts more than the needle."

Henry just nodded and observed his finger as blood slowly began to pool into a mound on his fingertip.

"Once you have a few drops, just flick them into the pot. Be careful not to burn yourself on the steam," Regina instructed.

Henry's brow furrowed in concentration, calculating the exact moment at which he would have enough blood to fulfill his mother's request.

As soon as his droplets of blood hit the steam, Regina turned Henry away from the pot to face David, who was ready with the band-aide. Without sparing another moment, she pulled the chef's knife from her wooden block on the kitchen counter and sliced her palm open above the steaming pot.

"Regina!" David exclaimed, instinctively stepping toward her. He hadn't been prepared for her part in this 'linking' that she had asked Astrid to perform. The combination of Astrid's apparent concern regarding the enchantment and Regina's callous attitude toward cutting her own hand open and contributing what appeared to be nearly a cup of blood to the concoction on the stove made him feel suddenly ill. He didn't trust Blue, but maybe she was right. Maybe they shouldn't do this.

Much to Regina's irritation, David's reaction to her cut drew Henry's attention. _At least I've already put the knife down, and this is nearly enough blood_, she thought.

"Mom!" Henry sprung to Regina's side. Former Evil Queen or not, she was his mother, and seeing her injured, again, was scary. The steam was a much darker shade of purple now and seemed to be turning steadily darker with each drop of his mother's blood that dripped into the pot. "You said it only needed a couple drops," Henry accused her.

Regina smiled humorlessly as she slowly turned her hand over and removed it from above the pot. Before she had a chance to reach for the handle to the first aid drawer, David had pulled her hand toward him and begun silently bandaging it. Regina didn't need to look at him to feel his anger through his gentle touch, even as their magical connection hummed to life.

"It only needed a couple drops from you, Henry," Regina explained. "The spell requires more from the person in my role."

Henry processed her words, his consternation at his mother's misdirection, despite the lack of an outright lie, clear in his posture.

"Would you at least hold this above your heart?" David asked, pushing her now-bandaged hand toward her shoulder.

Regina nodded, avoiding his gaze. She hadn't quite forgiven him for the moving-in stunt he pulled in front of Henry only hours earlier. If he wanted to be miffed over a bit of blood, that was his prerogative. Maybe it would make their inevitable confrontation more balanced when it finally occurred.

"David, Henry," Regina said, "Let's move out of Astrid's way." She locked eyes with the former fairy.

Despite the fact that her new . . . mentor, she supposed, had not spoken one word, Astrid felt completely affirmed. Regina believed she could do this, so she must be able to. With complete certainty, she thrust her hand into the steam, clutching the diamond. She felt the jarring of the magic threading through the steam—magic was different here—clash with the humming of her internal magic. She took half a moment to adjust to the sensation and began to murmur the simple incantation that had never left her, despite learning it long ago.

Henry watched Astrid riveted. He'd only seen his mother perform magic a handful of times, and it had never been for anything good. It had always felt like a way for her to trap him. Without the oppressiveness that he'd previously felt from his mother's magic, he now found the process fascinating. His mother had always made it look easy; he had no idea that magic could require knowledge and work.

He didn't understand the words Astrid was repeating; he'd have to ask her what language it was later. At first, it didn't look like anything was happening, though it did seem like her hand wasn't burning, despite being in the steam like that. And then, it was like the vapors started getting sucked into her hand, but not really her hand, the diamond. And then Astrid stopped speaking, the pot wasn't boiling, and she was holding the gem out to his mother, who picked it up gently and held it up to her eyes.

"Perfect," Regina said, carefully examining the talisman.

Astrid smiled, but, rather than the grateful smile of someone in dire need of validation, her smile was one of someone that appreciated the recognition while secure in the knowledge that her work was superb.

"Wow," Henry murmured. The diamond now appeared to have a tumultuous violet storm cloud captured within it. The vapors seemed to expand from within the center of the diamond and then break like waves against the edges without escaping. It was powerful without being threatening. Henry had never seen anything that small be that cool before.

"I'm glad you like it, dear," Regina said. "Because you're going to have to wear it until we get Ms. Swan and Snow back."

Henry's eyes bugged out of his head. "You want me to wear jewelry?" he asked incredulously. "Boys don't wear jewelry."

"Ah, but knights do," David replied. "Going into battle, a knight would always carry some token from the person or people for whom he is fighting. This is your token, your reminder that you are fighting for the people you love."

Regina's breath was caught in her throat. It seemed she would never get used to the proud manner in which the prince displayed his constancy of purpose. The passion, the conviction with which he spoke every word; she was unused to someone so forthright, so genuine. She wanted to hold onto this man and never let go.

She shook herself. That was not to be. Engaging in such fantasies—any fantasies involving the Charming prince—would only hurt her more in the end.

Eloquent as David's explanation of a knight's favor was, Henry's face scrunched up in distaste at the long silver chain his mother pulled from her pocket. A few quick looping motions and a flare of purple magic later, and the diamond was securely fastened by the chain links. She handed the talisman to Astrid, who placed it around Henry's neck.

"You'll need to tuck it under your shirt, dear," Regina said. "I know it probably feels a little awkward, but this type of charm works best when it is in direct contact with the skin. And, here in Storybrooke, it may not work at all if it isn't."

"Okay," Henry said, reluctantly trusting the grown-ups, even if they were making him wear a necklace. At least maybe the kids at school wouldn't notice, since it would be under his clothes. "What is this for, anyway?"

Henry became immediately suspicious looking at the reactions of the adults to his question. He didn't have Emma's superpower to know when people were lying, exactly, but he could always tell when people were trying to hide their feelings from him. It's why he hadn't trusted his mom since he was old enough to notice the inconsistencies the curse created in Storybrooke. Before, her love for him had always been clear and unencumbered, but once she started hiding the truth about the curse from him, her underlying fear and anger continuously set off his Feelings Lie Detector.

And right now, his sirens were going off. His grandfather was looking at his mother like he eagerly awaited her explanation—and didn't expect to like it. Astrid wasn't looking at anyone's face, instead staring at a spot on the floor, clearly uncomfortable. And his mom. His mom looked like she did before the curse. Like she was going to use her cleverness to avoid a technical lie while withholding the essential truth that she refused to share with anyone else.

When she started to open her mouth to speak, Henry cut her off, "Don't lie, Mom. Just, don't. Does this do something bad? Is this to control me or something?"

"No, no, Henry, it's not," Regina's denial was immediate and honest as she bent down to his eye level. "This magic isn't to control; it's to protect. It's to help."

The knot in Henry's stomach loosened. His mother was being honest with him. But why was Astrid still staring at the floor?

"You're a little younger than the traditional age for performing magic," Regina explained to her son. "This charm will allow me to help you if your magic starts to get out of control." She attempted to placate him with a smile.

"Is it dangerous?" Henry asked. If this charm was simply some kind of protection, Astrid wouldn't be that nervous, right?

"It's experimental," Regina replied. "There's no written record of anyone using this exact charm in this situation before, so there are risks. But, I assure you, Henry, this spell makes you safer. As safe as I can make you."

"I know you will always protect me," Henry said, surprised at his own words. He did know. He knew it so clearly now. His mother would never let anything happen to him. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine," his mom said with her smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Evil Queen, remember? I can take it."

She wasn't lying exactly, but the knot in Henry's stomach wouldn't go away.

xxxxx

_**A/N: Sorry, team. I couldn't quite get Henry to perform his own magic in this chapter, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. I'll do my best not to make you wait two weeks for an update again, but my supervisors don't seem to understand the importance of fanfiction, so I can't make any promises.**_

_**As always, reviews are much appreciated. Thank you for your continued support of this story; it makes it so fun to write.**_


	22. Recollections over decaf

**A/N: Hello all! This is an abnormally long authors' note, but please stick with me. I am sincerely sorry for making you wait over two weeks for this update, but I hope that you enjoy this Mega-update. My muse refused to write in a linear fashion, so the original chapter 22 was over 10,000 words. I've broken it down into more manageable reading chunks as chapters 22-26, but I'm posting them simultaneously because they are intended to be part of the same chapter.**

**That said, it is highly unlikely that I will be able to post chapter 27 until near the end of March. I wish I could post it sooner, but this is another overtime month for me. (Sorry!)**

**Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Once Upon a Time, I don't own any other characters or references you recognize. (If only!)**

_**FYI on these chapters: Chapters 22-25 jump around in chronology. I've tried to make the timing clear in the writing, but just in case I did a lousy job: 1) All events take place after the linking spell in chapter 21 and 2) Scenes in the diner are in present time and all other scenes occur before scenes set in the diner.**_

**Finally, Thank you for all of the support for this story. Over 200 reviews! I never imagine other people would enjoy my little alternate universe like this. Thank you for being so much fun to share it with. Your comments keep me motivated.**

* * *

"I should have let her die on that horse," Regina murmured into her coffee cup. Her decades-old mantra didn't pack its usual punch, though. Her ire wasn't raised, she didn't feel righteously powerful, and she didn't feel like exacting vengeance.

How disappointing.

Snow White and her progeny were destroying her life from another dimension, and she couldn't even summon up the energy to be properly victimized . . . She was losing her touch.

Or maybe the past few days, on top of the past couple weeks, on top of the months since Emma Swan's dilapidated excuse for a car rolled into Storybrooke, was finally taking its toll.

That couldn't be it. She had survived too much to have a nuisance such as Emma Swan be the cause of her unintentional destruction, especially considering that said nuisance would not have any way of knowing that disappearing through a disgusting hat-portal would be such an effective weapon against a once-evil queen.

Regina glared at her hand as she felt it shake subtly from her effort to lift her coffee to her lips. Only an extremely careful observer would be able to spot her vulnerability at this stage, but she knew it wouldn't be long before her physical weakness would be impossible to hide. Given the number of people in Storybrooke that would love to see her tortured or killed, she supposed that reality should worry her.

But she was just so tired.

And she only needed to make it through one more day.

Tomorrow was Thursday. And that meant that Snow and Emma would be back, and no one would care about her one way or the other.

* * *

After Astrid's departure on Sunday—and after Henry finished his long division—she and her son had been about to commence his first magic lesson. Suddenly, all of his previous excitement had evaporated and left tension and excuses in its wake. He had been unwilling to share the source of his hesitation with her, claiming that he was hungry/thirsty/tired—anything to deflect the true cause of his unease.

"Henry, please tell me the truth," she had finally requested. It had cost her a great deal of effort to override her habit of demanding answers from him and instead ask him to talk to her, but she had noticed how much taller Henry seemed to stand when adults treated him as an equal rather than a child, and she liked seeing that confidence in her son. She liked knowing she could cause it; she could help him. Like her mother had never helped her.

He shuffled in place and looked at his feet. "What if I can't do it?"

Any frustration Regina had felt melted away at her son's mumbled fear. She quietly approached him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as she bent to his level. "Then I'll teach you," she smiled reassuringly. "And then you'll be able to do it."

"But what if I can't?" Now that Henry had overcome his reluctance to admit his uncertainty, all of his fears began to tumble out. "What if, even though Emma is the savior, and my grandmother is a warrior princess, and my grandfather defeats dragons and my whole family breaks curses—what if I can't do any of it? What if I don't belong?"

Even as her stomach twisted at hearing Henry's pride in and wistfulness to belong to his biological family, Regina pulled him into a hug. "Of course you belong, Henry," she replied with conviction. "You come from a stubborn, resourceful, and determined family, and I knew you were all of those things—and so much more—before we even knew who your biological family was. You've always been my smart, brave, caring boy, and knowing that you belong in the Charming family hasn't changed that; it just makes Snow White and David the luckiest grandparents that have every graced your Story Book," she told him with a genuine smile, even if it was tempered by the stark reminder that Henry's post-curse life did not hold a place for her.

"Now," she said, seeing that her words had bolstered his confidence, "what do you say you levitate this kickball? Maybe we can play an extremely unfair game of dodgeball against your grandfather later."

She knew that the devious smile on her son's face mirrored her own.

Maybe not all of his traits were from his Charming family tree after all.

* * *

And, while she would never, ever admit it—especially to him—having David around was . . . nice.

* * *

After Henry went to bed Sunday night, having successfully levitated the kickball and knocking an unsuspecting David in the back with it, much to the amusement of mother and son, she and the prince engaged in the confrontation that had been percolating all day.

David handed her a glass of apple cider and sat on the opposite end of the couch from her. After their closeness of the past few days, choosing physical distance from her felt unnatural, but he was determined not to push his presence on her any more than he already had.

"I'm sorry," David said.

"For inviting yourself into my home or for making me angry?" Regina replied testily. She knew his apology was sincere, and she knew that she had mostly already forgiven him, but her quickness to forgive him only served to irritate her further. The prince deserved to squirm.

"Both," David replied simply.

A corner of her mouth turned upward involuntarily.

Encouraged, he continued, "I never should have put you in a position where you couldn't say no. I shouldn't have asked Henry in front of you. I was just so sure that it was the right thing, and I didn't think you would agree otherwise."

When she didn't angrily interrupt or protest in any way, he slid nearer to her on the couch and took her hand, restoring their magical hum that he had missed throughout the day. He had felt . . . disconnected without it. "Regina, stop pushing me away. I know that you think my love for you is changeable, transient; you may even expect it to be a trap or come with invisible strings, but that is not the case. I love you, Regina. And that is not going to change."

_You don't know that_, she wanted to say. But how she wanted to believe him. And, who was she to tell him how he felt? The man should at least be allowed to be the expert on his own feelings. And, if she should be proven correct when Snow returned, well, that hollow victory would be all hers to savor.

Recognizing her silence as the best response he was likely to get from his unwelcome declaration of love, David continued, "I know that you don't believe me—yet." She couldn't help a smile at his brash confidence. _Charming, indeed_, she thought. "And I also know that, even if you did, nothing could happen between us until Snow returns and she and I separate formally."

Regina nodded. "You don't want to hurt Snow," she said. She felt ridiculous at the spark of jealousy his acknowledgement ignited. Snow was in another world while Regina was accidentally stealing her husband, and she actually begrudged the woman this reasonable measure of compassion.

Old habits die hard.

"Or you," David added. "I know you're working hard to regain Henry's trust. I won't do anything to jeopardize your relationship with him."

Regina knew that her surprise was displayed on her face. His thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze her.

"In return," her flinch did not escape David's notice. He gently placed his palm along her cheek and turned her face to his, willing her to understand that he did not intend to manipulate her. "Please accept my friendship. And I would be grateful for yours."

Regina felt something in her heart shift. He wanted her friendship? No one had wanted that before.

"Now that I've seen you, the real you, I couldn't fathom going back to only seeing the mayor. Only seeing that distance, that detachment. It's not enough for me anymore. Not now that I've seen the passion and fierce love that underlie it. I know you're not ready for more from me, Regina, but I don't want to lose my friend."

"I'll try," she murmured.

"Good," he said, sealing their deal with a kiss to her forehead. "Now that we have that cleared up," he said, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Regina was startled by the irritation and anger that had suddenly sprung into the prince's tone, especially after the fidelity she felt transmitted through his loving kiss to her forehead. "What do you mean?"

"Your hand, Regina," David clarified impatiently. "You just slit it open without warning and allowed yourself to casually bleed out by the stove. What about that seems okay to you?"

"It needed to be done. I didn't see the need to make a fuss," Regina responded.

"A fuss?" David was incensed. How could she be so callous about her own well-being? "Regina, if the Red Cross had been in your kitchen earlier, they could cancel their blood drives for the next month."

"Now you're just being dramatic," Regina chided.

"An exaggeration, maybe," David allowed, "But that was not a negligible injury you inflicted upon yourself. And with Henry in the room . . ."

"I'm sorry Henry had to be there," Regina said. "I had hoped you would keep him distracted. I hadn't realized you would get squeamish at the sight of blood."

David ignored her reproach, still upset, and responded, "Not just any blood—yours. And not a little. Don't do that to me again, Regina."

"I'm sorry, David," Regina replied. "I truly didn't expect it to bother you."

"Well, it did," he said. "It does."

She held contact with his eyes. "And now I know."


	23. Breaking the bindings

Regina allowed herself a small smile as she gazed as the bandaged hand next to her coffee cup. She'd forgotten how much neater bandages were when someone else did them for you. And David's touch had been so tender, even though he was once again angry with her for refusing to seek proper medical treatment. But really, what was the point of having a live-in battle-proven knight if he wasn't willing to sew a few stitches for you?

A surprising consequence of her injured hand was increased respect from her son. After his initial horror had passed and he had realized that she would be all right, he appeared awe-struck by the fact that she didn't even flinch, let alone cry, while David stitched her up. She hadn't wanted him to watch, but he refused to leave her side. And, given that there was a small possibility that their magical retrieval operation could go very, very wrong, she had thought this provided a good opportunity to expose him to minor injuries—because it was minor, whatever David said to the contrary.

It had been nice, though. Seeing her son realize that she could take pain and not just inflict it.

And training him in magic was improving their relationship more than she'd initially believed was possible.

* * *

"You know how, when you sneak extra cookies behind my back, you have that burst of energy and sometimes your heart starts beating really fast?" Regina asked.

"You know about that?" Henry replied. He was always so careful to put the lid back on the jar the exact same way. "And you let me keep doing it?"

"I thought they'd taste better if you weren't allowed to have them," Regina replied.

Henry was dumbfounded. He'd always thought his mother was rigidly strict. And, leading up to the breaking of the curse, he had begun to think that his memories of her sense of humor from when he was little had been wishful thinking, but it wasn't. His mom did have a sense of fun.

"Magic is kind of like the cookies. If you're not used to having them, or if you have more than you're used to, it affects your body." She gave the ruins of Henry's castle an appraising look as she explained. "Since we are about to do some pretty serious magic to bring Emma and Snow back, I need to stretch out my magical muscles."

"You need to practice so you don't get a magical sugar rush?" Henry asked curiously.

"Essentially, yes," Regina replied with a smile. "Is that okay? I know that my doing magic makes you nervous."

"It's okay, Mom," Henry said. "I just don't want you to go bad again. I want you to keep being my mom. The Evil Queen isn't my mom. You are."

Regina gave her son a small smile. This is what she was working for. "I won't, Henry. This isn't dark magic."

"But all magic comes with a price," Henry said, recalling something he'd heard Mr. Gold say.

Regina arched an eyebrow. "That," she said, "is not strictly true. It would be more accurate to say that all interactions with Gold always come with a price." Her face took on a serious expression as she turned to her son. "Now, what color would you like the slide to be?"

Henry smiled broadly as he understood his mother's intention. "Bright yellow!"

* * *

"I hear Henry's castle is back and better than ever," Ruby said, as she refilled Regina's coffee cup.

Regina smiled subtly at the memory. Henry had been thrilled with the result. She had been equally pleased that her magic was coming back to her after a few similarly simple projects.

"I also heard that all of the potholes in town have been filled, the roof at the school has been fixed, and there is some new landscaping around the Storybrooke sign," Ruby said. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about any of that, would you?"

Regina shrugged. "That doesn't sound familiar," she replied with an expression of mock-innocence.

"Right," Ruby replied disbelievingly, a look of approval hidden underneath a stern expression—an expression that made the family resemblance between the young woman and her grandmother undeniable. "Well, nice of you to use your power for good rather than your usual evil," Ruby said flippantly. "Way to branch out."

Regina smirked as the wolf-woman walked away. "Thanks." She knew Ruby would never really forgive her or trust her, but their dynamic had evolved into something neutral and, occasionally, something fun.

The rest of the town was another matter entirely. As she had expected, many of the townspeople assumed that she had bewitched David in order to steal Snow White's husband and regain custody of Henry. This assumption had the odd effect of making some of the townspeople more afraid of her than ever and spurring others to the occasional brave act of yelling slurs at her while she crossed the street or egging her car. The fear was preferable; it required less action from her. She'd had to renew the enchantments around her home and her car to deal with the vigilante eggers. The enchantments in and of themselves were simple enough, but no spell was perfect, and she was worried that someone would accidentally hurt Henry instead of her.

She breathed a sigh of relief. The spell to retrieve Snow and Emma was only one day away. One more day and Henry would be safely back with his biological family. She had been allowing the mild attacks from the townspeople to go unanswered, but if she continued to leave them unpunished, she knew they would become bolder with their assaults. She didn't want to upset Henry, though, by restoring fear in the populace, as tempting as that option was. It would be so simple. Just a few tricks with fire really. For some reason fire seemed to be the most efficient parlor trick at engendering fear. Odd, since it often takes far less flash to kill someone.

Personally, she'd never been scared of fire. She'd always assumed she'd die from lack of air.

* * *

"You want me to do what?" Henry asked with disbelief. He hadn't admired his mother's work on his new "castle" for five minutes before she suggested resuming his magic lessons.

"I am going to place you under a binding spell; it's going to seem like tight rope is tied around your arms and chest," Regina explained again, "And I want you to break it."

"You're going to tie me up with magic, and I'm supposed to be able to get out?" Henry said. "But you're the Evil Queen, like that you're really powerful, not that you're evil anymore. How am I supposed to break one of your spells?"

"Henry," Regina placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and bent to look him in the eye, "All spells can be broken. And I'm going to teach you how." _You also might be the most powerful sorcerer in Storybrooke, but you don't need to know that quite yet—if ever._

"Okay," Henry said, standing stiffly, once again acting the part of the brave knight.

"It shouldn't hurt. It should merely restrict your movement, so let me know if it's too tight," Regina said, suddenly worried. She was about to perform one of her mother's favorite lessons on her own son, something she swore she would never do. She felt ill.

Taking a deep breath, Regina composed herself. This was different. This was to train Henry, to help him. At his request. And she would never bind him again. Not once he'd learned to break it. Resolved, she allowed brief sparks of violet to dance from her fingertips, and Henry instinctively began struggling against the invisible restraints.

"Stop moving, dear," Regina instructed. "It's like quicksand, fighting it makes the predicament worse."

Henry followed her directions and found that she was right, like she almost always was. "Now what?" he asked.

"Now you break it," Regina told him, standing several feet away.

"Mo-om!" Henry whined in frustration.

"I don't mean to tease you, Henry," Regina said, "But I can learn a lot about your magic and your relationship with it by watching you try without directions first. Don't worry; I'm right here to help if you need it."

Appeased, but still irritated, Henry let out a huff as he tried to think. Maybe he could slip out? But the ropes stayed around him as he tried to slide out.

"Try to get out magically, dear, not physically," Regina reminded him.

Henry stopped moving again and closed his eyes.

He wasn't sure how long his eyes had been closed, but when he opened them, he could move—the restraints were gone—and he felt something that was like safety flowing through him, if safety felt like a warm glow.

"I did it!" Henry exclaimed to his mom.

"You did!" Regina replied excited and proud, but her voice sounded strange from where she was sitting on the park bench. "Great job, sweetheart," she smiled.

"Thanks, Mom!" Henry bounded over and sat beside her, eager to explain his magical victory. "I just thought about shooting rubber bands at school—when other kids do it, not me—and how sometimes the rubber bands snap if you pull them too tightly, and I just thought, why can't magic work like that too? And it does!"

"Very clever, dear," Regina smiled in approval as she hugged her son around his shoulders. In addition to his magical success, she couldn't help but feel happy that her sneaky son was still a lousy liar. It was evidence that she couldn't have done everything wrong as a mother; her son was still innocent.

"How long did it take me?" Henry asked. "I lost track of time while I was focusing."

"Just under fifteen minutes, dear," Regina answered.

"Is that long?" Henry asked self-critically.

"No," Regina replied. "It was the perfect length of time."

At Henry's doubtful look, she continued, "The object wasn't speed, Henry. It was to familiarize both of us with your magic. And you did it. By yourself. Without any help from me."

Henry smiled. He was a magician! "Can we do it again?" he asked excitedly.

Regina laughed, "Not today, dear. Maybe another time." She smiled down at her son. "For now, what do you say we take a break and enjoy the weather? I don't think you had time to properly break in your castle earlier."

"Okay, Mom!" Henry would ask again later. For now, he was going to do the monkey bars again. It would help make his arms stronger for sword fighting with David later.

* * *

The moment he broke her binding spell, she knew.

Initially, when Henry had started crudely using his magic to examine her spell, she hadn't felt much at all. But as soon as he selected a strategy, she felt it. It was as though static electricity danced along and off her skin. Distracting and annoying at first, but, after ten minutes, the disconnected energy had taken its toll. She's pretty sure she'd used magic to move the park bench closer to her; she didn't think she'd been able to walk. She had felt surprise and gratitude when her knees had obeyed her brain's command and allowed her to sit on the bench. The relief had been fleeting, however. Beads of sweat had evaporated as they formed on her skin, causing her to shiver as the static electricity had continued to dance. Maybe she should have made the park benches rubber rather than metal. Maybe then she'd feel grounded.

But when her teeth began to jar against one another, it had all stopped. The static electricity had gone, and the air had stilled. She had been spent and slightly chilled from the sheen of sweat along her skin, but she had been okay. And so had Henry. And he had done it. Her little sorcerer.

He was so powerful.

Which is why she was sitting at the diner staring at a cup of decaf coffee in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon.

* * *

Regina and Henry had spent the remainder of Monday afternoon at his castle. After Henry had thoroughly explored the new playground, he joined his mom on the bench. She didn't seem quite ready to leave, and he wasn't really ready either. For so long, he had been working against his mom, pulling Emma and Archie into Operation Cobra to defeat her. Then, he'd kept his focus on the mission, ignoring any happy memories he'd had with his mom. He remembered loving her when he was little—before he'd figured out the curse—and he didn't want her to get hurt. But, as the Evil Queen, she had hurt people. So he'd had to create Operation Cobra.

Now, he had a chance to love his mom and not feel guilty about it. She was working with the good guys. And she was letting him stay home from school this week. Something about needing the time to learn and practice magic and the substitute teacher, Mr. Heron, not being able to tell a pumpkin from an apple or a horse from an ass. He didn't think she meant for him to hear that last part, though.

"Do you want to see my book?" he asked.

"If you'd like to show it to me," Regina said with a small, surprised smile. She had read it cover to cover, but not with Henry's knowledge or permission.

Excited, Henry pulled the book from his bag and handed it to her. Maybe his mom could tell him even more about the people and events that it described.

"Do you know all of the people in the book?" he asked as she flipped through the pictures.

"Some of them. Others I know of, but never met. And there are a few stories that I don't recognize, but that could be because I don't know them or because they've been changed beyond recognition," she said.

"You don't think they are true?" Henry asked curiously. "But the book was right about the curse."

Regina hummed in acknowledgement as she continued to turn the pages. "Have thematic truth isn't necessarily the same thing as being factually accurate," she said. "Stories are often told to convey meaning beyond dates, names, and times. And, given what is and isn't included in here, I think that it is far more likely that your book was created with the larger purpose of making sure the curse would break rather than for the purpose of accurately cataloguing the history of our land."

Henry digested her words. "So what's true?"

Regina laughed lightly. "We may never know without asking each person, and even then, we should expect some contradictions. For example, it is unlikely that the Bhaer family would tell the same story as Goldilocks, now isn't it?"

"I guess," Henry agreed. "Why do you think the books here changed that family of people into brown bears in that story?"

"Well," Regina said, "They did have bears on their crest. But, my guess is that the illustrators had more fun drawing bears than people-Bhaers."

"Probably," Henry agreed. "Did you ever meet King Midas?" There wasn't much about Midas in his book. Only that his daughter, Abigail, was engaged to his grandfather when he met Snow White.

"I did," Regina smiled at her son's interest. "Why don't we talk about him back at the house over dinner? I bet David would have some interesting observations to add to any conversation about his near-father-in-law."

"Okay," Henry agreed quickly. He couldn't wait to get the real story about one of the characters in his book.

Later, when they got back to the house, David was already preparing dinner.

"Hey," he smiled at Regina as she and Henry walked into the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind," he gestured to the mess that would be dinner.

"Mind?" Regina asked, "Definitely not. Thank you," she said sincerely as she moved beside him to investigate what he had simmering on the stove, running her hand across his shoulder blades as she did so. Their magical connection crackled and popped beyond its usual humming, reminding her of her rule: don't touch the gorgeous man, because it only leads to wanting to touch him more. A lot more. And that is a Bad Idea. Very bad. _So bad it's good_. She shook her head to snap herself out of her current train of thought—a train she needed to derail. He'd only be living with her until Thursday. She just had to make it through three more days, and then he would be out of her house. She could do this.

"You're welcome," he replied with a smile and a look that told her he knew exactly what she was thinking and that he knew exactly what to do about it.

She was wrong. She was never going to make it to Thursday.

"Tacos?" Henry said excitedly.

"Yep," David confirmed.

"Awesome!" Henry exclaimed.

"Go wash up for dinner, Henry," Regina told him.

"Okay," he said and scurried from the room.

"He must really be excited; he almost always whines and drags his heels when I ask him to do that," Regina commented.

"How did it go today?" David asked, continuing to prepare dinner.

"It went well. Better—or worse, depending on how you look at it—than I could have hoped," Regina said.

"What do you mean? Was he able to break the binding spell?" David asked, stirring the corn concoction on the stove.

"He was. And he wasn't even angry when he did it. Most amateur magic-users draw on strong emotions for power, but he didn't have to," Regina said. She sighed and concluded, "He definitely has the power necessary to do the spell."

"You don't sound thrilled," David observed.

"That concern I had, about Henry being the most magically powerful person in Storybrooke, well, I might be right," Regina said. "And I don't know what to do about that."

"We'll figure it out," David assured her as he placed a hand along her shoulder and began to massage it. "I'd love to rub your neck, but I don't want to hurt you. How are your bruises today?"

"Like you didn't notice when you caught me in only a towel this morning?" Regina teased.

"Actually, I didn't. My attention was not on your neck at the time," David flashed her a roguish grin.

"And to think people call you 'Charming,'" Regina mock-admonished. "If only they knew."

"Seriously, Regina, how are you? Are the stitches in your hand holding up? And how is the bruising around your neck?" David asked intently.

"My stitches are fine. You did a lovely job. My neck is an ugly shade of green, but the turtlenecks are doing their job, and it seems to be healing just like any other massive bruise," Regina answered impatiently. "I'm fine, David. You don't need to worry."

"You seem tired," he replied.

"Like I said," Regina's tone was laced with sarcasm, "_Charming_."

"I have the strongest impulse to kiss that smirk right off your face," David stated as he put the corn into a serving dish.

Something flared within her at his words, but Regina quickly recovered and moved into his personal space, mere millimeters from his body, "What a difficult situation for you," she murmured into his ear, never actually touching him.

David exhaled shakily, "You cruel, cruel woman," he accused, the glint in his eyes giving away the effect that 'cruelty' had on him.

"I'm evil, remember?" she practically purred. "It's not only allowed, it's expected. And I do so hate to disappoint people."

David was spared the task of replying to this blatantly false statement by the return of Henry.

"Is it taco time?" Henry asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo," David replied. "Grab a plate and assemble at the counter."

"Awesome!" Henry said, following David's instructions.

Regina smiled fondly at her son. She hated the circumstances, but she was immeasurably grateful to see him so happy and secure.

"If you let people see the look on your face right now," David whispered from his place beside her, "they would never call you 'The Evil Queen' again."

Regina scoffed. "Make your taco, Charming," she said with a slight shove and a sardonic smile.

Once they were settled at the table, Henry was ready for this promised story, "So, Mom, how did you meet Midas?"

David gave her a surprised look. "I didn't know you knew Midas."

"After the king's death, most of the monarchs in the region came by to . . . take my temperature, so to speak," Regina explained.

"He proposed," David stated.

Regina nodded. "He thought my kingdom needed his gold, and I guess he wanted some company once Abigail inevitably married, even if his son-in-law had not yet been identified."

"That could have been you, Grandpa," Henry pointed out. He then scrunched up his face, as he thought through the relationships involved, "Mom, you were almost his mother-in-law a completely different way."

Regina laughed, "I suppose so. It appears we were destined to be family."

David returned her smile with a wink, "Definitely."

"I also could have been your fake step-mother," Regina said nonchalantly.

"You could have . . .?" David's sentence trailed off as his brain wrapped around her statement. "Wait. You mean, George . . ." His face screwed up in disgust.

"Proposed. Yes." Regina confirmed, enjoying the prince's discomfort. "About a year after the king's death, probably about the time your brother died, he showed up at my castle and proposed an alliance by marriage. He had noticed the upturn my kingdom had taken since the king's death and wanted to share in the prosperity. Unfortunately for him, he had nothing I wanted, and, as Rumpel is fond of reminding me, it takes two interested parties to make a deal. Of course, I had no idea my refusal would impact you in such a way." Her eyes held an apology for David. That series of events had cost him his freedom and his mother. "But, yes, I could have been your step-mother in addition to Snow's," she said, lightening the mood.

"That is wrong on so many levels," David groaned.

Henry knew he was missing something, but laughed at his grandfather's antics. It was nice having dinner like this. With everyone comfortable. He hoped it would stay like this after Emma and Snow were back too.

Something snapped into place for David, though, as he thought over the proposals Regina received. "The economics of the land did improve dramatically after Leopold's death," David spoke as he searched his memory, realization dawning on his face. "The poorest people in the White kingdom fared a lot better after he died. Plagues killing the livestock were fewer, the crops did better, and trade among different villages increased. How did you do that?" he asked Regina.

"Did you do a bunch of magic, Mom?" Henry asked. Operation Boomerang was making him wonder if maybe magic could be a good thing sometimes.

Regina laughed at her son's still-new enthusiasm for her magic. "It didn't take that much, Henry," she said. "The healthier livestock and crops was due more to some simple changes in farming practices, and the increased trade, well, I suspect that's how my moniker of 'The Evil Queen' came about."

"I think I remember something about that," David said. "King Leopold died, and in the following months bandits fled his former kingdom after several groups of highwaymen were apprehended and executed for attacking tradesmen."

Regina nodded. "The king never liked to enforce the laws of the land. Even when the bandits were caught, he would show mercy due to the desperation of their situations. 'They are just trying to support their families,' he would say. No matter that the tradesmen murdered on the side of the road were trying to do the same thing." She shook her head slowly, still frustrated with Leopold's spinelessness all these years later.

"That is why the villagers would never help Snow or me when we infiltrated your castle," David said, amazed he'd never before noticed the obvious loyalty of Regina's subjects.

Regina neither confirmed nor denied David's observation. "I actually did enjoy that part of being queen, once I had the authority to rule. The king never listened to me; I quit trying to participate after six months or so. It was clear my only function was to make sure Snow was happy and look nice when we had visitors."

David repressed a shudder at the flatness to Regina's tone. No wonder she had developed such a narrow-minded hatred of Snow; it was the only thing she was permitted to think about for . . . how long?

"How old was Snow when you married the king?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow, understanding the real intent behind the seemingly innocuous question. The prince could infer much from her answer.

"Eleven," she said.

"So you were seventeen when you got married?" Henry blurted out; he knew Mary Margaret's age from sneaking a peek at her driver's license when he stole her credit card. He had thought it was so interesting that, each year, the curse would change the years of birth for everyone on their IDs to adjust for their lack of aging. "You would have been in high school here."

"Things were different there," Regina said calmly, avoiding eye contact. She didn't want pity, and she definitely didn't want to see David's expression as he performed the mental math. Married at seventeen. Trapped for thirteen years before she had the king killed when she was thirty. Five years as 'The Evil Queen' before ripping her father's heart out and casting the curse.

It was quite a resume.

"What farming practices did you change?" David asked for both their benefit. He knew she desired a change of subject, and he didn't think he could stomach thinking about her years as Leopold's young bride much longer.

Grateful to him for the subject change, Regina replied quickly. "The two most effective changes were the quick quarantining of sick animals and rotating the sections of land on which crops were planted, leaving some land unused each season to allow the nutrients in the soil to replenish."

David smiled, impressed. "In a land where people didn't believe in or know about contagious disease and where leaving land unused must have seemed crazy, those are radical policies. How did you think to institute them?"

"Before I realized that I would never act as Queen, before I understood that the king would never include me during his life and intended to cut me out of succession when Snow came of age, I made a point to learn as much as I could from the castle's visitors about practices in other kingdoms. Then later, when I had my mirrors, I looked across lands to see what was working and what wasn't."

"You were a good ruler," David squeezed her hand and resisted the urge to kiss it. Henry had remained silent, a strategy he'd developed over the past few days to get the grown-ups to talk more around him. It worked to a degree, but David recollected his presence and released Regina's hand. An act made all the more challenging by the grateful smile she directed toward him.

"Thank you," she said. Uncomfortable with all of the self-revelation, she decided to turn this into a learning opportunity for her son. Temporary home-schooling, so to speak. Putting a lightness into her tone, she addressed him, "Henry, why don't you tell David about a ruler you learned about who had a significant impact on infrastructure?"

"Mo-om," Henry whined. He was supposed to have the week off from school. At her mock-stern gaze, though, he relented. "Alexander the Great conquered a bunch of places and made the Roman empire HUGE. To be able to move his armies around, he built a bunch of roads, which also helped people trade with each other," he spurted the information out quickly and impatiently. "Can I have another taco now?"

"Sure, dear," Regina said. "Later, you can explain to David how the Roman aqueducts worked and what they were used for."

"Fine," Henry whined, even though he didn't really mind. He liked talking about how to build stuff. And the aqueducts were pretty cool.

* * *

Regina looked up at the chime of the bell above the diner door. This conversation would not be pleasant, but she could endure the unpleasantness if it meant she would achieve her desired outcome.

"Kathryn," Regina said. Typically she would stand in greeting—that was just good manners—but she was just too tired. "Thank you for coming."

"Yes, well . . . you're the only person to ever ask me to coffee after attempting to murder me," Kathryn said as she slid into the booth. "I must admit to some curiosity."

"Here," Regina handed her an envelope with the word "Legal" and the date neatly printed at the top.

Kathryn glanced at the woman she once considered a friend. Regina didn't seem scheming, which was odd. Intrigued and still somewhat suspicious, she removed the contents of the envelope and scanned them.

"You must be joking," Kathryn looked at the former queen. "Even at fifth in line, you must be joking."

"Do you really think I would joke about something like this?" Regina replied evenly.

Kathryn looked at her, remembering why her Storybrooke-self had thought they could be friends—stripped of her desire for revenge, Regina had an exceptional capacity for loyalty, something Kathryn valued strongly. "No, I don't," she responded. "But you can't possibly think I would agree to help you. You're many things, Regina, but stupid is not one of them."

"No, dear," Regina answered, "I don't expect you to help me. But you're not stupid either. And you know this isn't really for me."

Kathryn sat and studied the woman across from her in silence, waving Ruby away when she approached to take her order. "I won't be staying long," she told the waitress. She'd kept her scarf and gloves on; she hadn't expected to even sit down.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you," Kathryn said.

"I know," Regina replied.

"Okay," Kathryn agreed.

Regina nodded. She would have said thank you, but, as established, this request wasn't for her.

Kathryn left without another word. If she noticed the queen's trembling fingers, she made no mention of it. And if she thought the request was odd, she kept that to herself as well. It seemed Regina was about to get what she deserved; she saw no need to concern herself with it. She just wanted to forget she'd ever met James, Snow, and Regina and get on with her life with Frederick.

Regina allowed herself a long exhale as she watched Kathryn exit.

Now it was time to talk to Granny.


	24. An interlude

Tuesday passed similarly to Monday, except that Regina planned for the hangover induced by Henry's use of magic. She stretched her magical muscles in the morning, taking Henry with her as she went around town filling potholes and re-shingling the roofs of the public buildings. She even fixed up the convent out of affection for Astrid, who continued to volunteer there after resigning her habit. Then, they picked up lunch for a picnic in David's office at the Sheriff's station.

David smiled as they entered, even as he waited for Sebastian, ever the bureaucrat, to blow a gasket at the inappropriateness of family visits during the workday, even though it was David's lunch hour. But Regina swooped in with her stunning smile and subtle charm and asked about his new cross-referencing system, complimenting his thoroughness. Before Sebastian knew what had hit him, he realized that it had been his idea that Regina and Henry stop by, not just today, but as many days as they were available! After all, appropriate breaks during the day kept everyone productive. David and Henry shared a laughing glance. The poor former crab never had a chance.

"That was positively indecent," David's accused her teasingly.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean," Regina replied.

"You seduced that pour man into condoning a behavior he disapproves of—and in front of your son, no less," David pretended to be appalled, even as he looked at her with genuine admiration.

"I did no such thing," Regina denied, but her wink to Henry had him in a fit of giggles and soon all three of them were laughing together.

Henry looked from his grandfather's face to his mother's face and back again and rolled his eyes. If Operation Boomerang needed anyone to be sneaky, it was going to have to be him. Because they weren't hiding nearly as much as they thought they were. _Grown-ups._

Lunch at the Sheriff's office, with Sebastian mollified, was a jovial affair. Unlike the rest of town, where David and Henry received alternating suspicious and sympathetic looks while Regina was treated with hate and fear, the people working in the government building gave them little notice. The curse had placed those sympathetic, or at least indifferent, to Regina in positions of power, so the environment was at least neutral rather than hostile. And, with the three of them together and enjoying each other's company, the atmosphere was light, bright, and sparkling.

"What's today's magic lesson, Mistress?" David asked Regina.

She arched an eyebrow at his new title for her and playfully responded, "That's for Henry to discover later."

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed. "Can't I at least get a hint?"

Regina pretended to consider his request carefully, enjoying her son's suspense as she hesitated, "I suppose so. What do you think the point of yesterday's lesson was?"

"To get out of the magic rope," Henry replied quickly.

Regina smiled at his fast and literal answer, "That was the specific task, yes, but what do you think the more general goal was? What were we trying to learn, to make you better at?"

David and Regina smiled at each other, a moment of shared understanding as they watching Henry ponder his mom's question. "To figure stuff out with magic."

"Excellent, Henry," Regina replied. Her son was so smart. "First, we were trying to remind you that you have access to magic, so you remember to use it if you need it. And," she emphasized the 'Don't become a magic addict' talk they'd had on Sunday, "Only if you need it. Secondly, it was to explore your magic, get a sense for how it feels. Also, as a bonus, you got to use your resourcefulness. That rubber band comparison was really clever, dear."

Henry beamed with pride. Even when he'd thought his mom was the Evil Queen, he'd always thought she was the smartest person he knew.

"What's today's theme?" David asked.

"Precision," Regina said.

"Sounds tough, Henry," David said semi-seriously. "I'm glad it's you and not me."

"I'll be able to do it," Henry said confidently.

"I know you will, kiddo," David replied, ruffling his hair.

After they'd packed up the remains of lunch, Henry went to visit Sebastian in his temporary office, determined to be as charming as his mother. He was the grandson of Prince Charming after all, being charming was his birthright.

Seizing the opportunity to speak with David alone, Regina asked, "Is there any chance you can leave early today? Maybe bring some paperwork home to do tonight?"

"Can't wait to see me?" David teased.

"Hardly," Regina responded with a slight smirk. When had she moved so close to him? She felt him take her hands in her own, gently cradling her injured palm. "Living together has made you bolder, Charming," she observed.

"Maybe it has just increased my awareness of what I'm missing," he replied honestly.

Regina willed her cheeks not to blush with only moderate success. She'd spent years perfecting a cool, unflappable demeanor, but a little kindness from this man and she's utterly flapped. _Horrifying._

"You haven't answered my question," Regina chided.

"I suppose I could do that," David smiled. "I would love to spend more time with you and Henry, especially since you're intent on kicking me out once Emma and Snow are back." He stepped even closer to her, brushing his lips to her forehead, "Which I'd like to go on record as saying is stupid."

"I believe the record already reflects those sentiments from you," Regina said, trying not to sound breathless. "But let's not have this fight again today," she pushed him away slightly so she could look into his face. "And the time would just be with Henry. I was hoping that, after our magic lesson, you could drop by the house and take him to the animal shelter for a couple hours."

"Why don't you come with us?" David asked, looping his arms around her back lightly. He was a bit surprised she was allowing the liberties, but he wasn't going to question it.

"I want the time to prepare for Thursday's spell," Regina said.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something?" David asked.

"Probably because I'm always not telling you something," Regina responded with an unapologetic smirk.

David laughed at her unexpectedly honest reply, and said, "Fine. I'll let you off the hook for now." He placed a kiss to her temple and stepped away. "Call me when you need me."

Regina nodded her agreement and left his office, trying not to dwell on how easy it would be to hear those caring words from the prince on a regular basis.

* * *

Regina concentrated on stirring her coffee. Ten seconds before her hand began shaking. This afternoon's personal best. She knew she should find Granny before the dinner rush started, but she was just so tired. And talking to Granny would make everything seem real, absolute, irrevocable.

Maybe just one more cup of coffee first.


	25. Let them eat cake

"Cake?" Henry asked. "My assignment is cake?"

Regina smiled as Henry surveyed the elaborate layered cake on the dining room table.

"Not exactly, dear," Regina said. "But you can have a slice of whichever is your favorite when we're done."

"There's going to be more than one?" Henry asked, excited. Despite the fact that his mom was an excellent baker—you don't use pastries to poison people if you're not—they didn't often have sweets around the house.

Regina laughed, "Yes, there will be. But let's start with this one, shall we?"

Henry nodded, "What do I do?"

"One of your action figures is somewhere in the cake," Regina explained. "Before you do anything else, I want you to tell me which one it is and then where it is. Once you know both of those things, I want you to extract the figure, damaging the cake as little as possible in the process."

"Cool," Henry said, though he was clearly already studying his assignment.

Regina took a seat on the couch, glad she'd selected an open floor plan for her curse-created house. It certainly made this particular project easier; she could make herself comfortable and still have a clear view of Henry and the action-figure cake.

She felt the moment that he began magically searching the cake for his toy. The hair on her arms and legs stood up, and she wanted to scrap the energy off herself. _ If only it worked that way._

Uncountable moments later, the feeling dissipated.

"Spiderman. Second layer from the bottom, a half inch below the blue flower," Henry declared confidently.

Regina nodded. "Good. Now get him out."

Henry screwed up his face in concentration, and Regina felt the energy running across her skin in all directions, fighting against itself.

The cake exploded.

Henry looked at his mother, worried about her reaction. Her super-clean house was covered in cake-goop.

Regina took in the picture of her son, spattered with cake and frosting, a stricken expression on his face, and the spiderman figure clutched in his right hand. When the blue frosting flower fell from the ceiling onto his head, she burst into laughter.

"Don't worry, Henry," she assured him as she continued to laugh. "I knew this was a possibility. We'll clean it up later."

Henry began laughing too. The sight of his straight-laced, serious mom speckled in pieces of cake and doubled over in laughter was infectious. He grinned and held up the figure, "I got it out."

His declaration caused them both to laugh harder, and Regina swiped tears away from her eyes. "You did indeed," she said.

With a wave of her hand, a new cake appeared. "Try again," she said, even though neither of them had quite recovered from their fit of laughter.

Henry smiled. "Okay!"

A few cakes later, and the living room was a multicolored mess of confection, and Henry was tense with frustration.

"Come here," Regina said, patting the space next to her on the sofa and suppressing a smile as her son stalked over and plopped down beside her.

She pulled him into her side. "You're doing really well, Henry," she told him. "This isn't easy magic, and you've only been doing magic for two days. Two days and you can already levitate things, break binding spells, and locate and identify objects. That's really good, Henry."

"What if I kill them?" he asked in a small voice. He didn't have to say their names for both of them to know he meant Emma and Snow.

"You won't," Regina declared with certainty.

"How do you know?" Henry asked.

"Because I've done a lot of magic, and I've seen a lot of magic," Regina said. "You won't kill them." She could see that her son was not convinced. "Your love for them will cause your magic to protect them, whether you think about it or not."

Henry raised an eyebrow in an expression that he only could have learned from her. "Really?" he asked, his skepticism obvious.

"Really," Regina confirmed. She took a deep breath and continued, "Besides, as hard as it may be to believe, this cake-assignment is harder than the spell you'll be doing to bring Emma and Snow home."

"How can it be easier to find them when they are in another dimension?" Henry asked, feeling better already, but not ready to admit it.

"The fact that Snow and Emma are related to you by blood will make it easier for you to find them than a piece of plastic, cool as that piece of plastic may be. And distance in time and space is not the impediment we would assume it is," Regina tried to explain. "It's hard to understand, but it's true. The success of location spells has much more to do with whether what or whom you're trying to locate wants to be found. Your action figures aren't alive, so they aren't going to help or hurt your search to find them. Ms. Swan and Snow, on the other hand, will be fighting hard to get back to you, making it easier for you to use magic to do it."

"That's kind of cool," Henry said. "So, they don't have to do magic to help me do magic?"

"Confusing as it sounds, yes," Regina answered. "How do you think your grandparents kept finding each other in all of those stories?"

"But they don't know magic," Henry asserted.

"Love is magic, sweetheart," Regina said, her heart clenching painfully. "Now, why don't you try again?" she suggested, waving her hand to conjure yet another cake.

Almost instantaneously, Henry was holding batman in his hand. "Look!" he said, excited.

Regina smiled, recovering from the residual of the intense static induced by another round of Henry's magic. Her cake had a gaping hole in its side but was otherwise intact. "Good job," she said and waved her hand again.

The hole was smaller this time. She waved her hand again.

A yet smaller hole.

"Nice work, Henry," Regina said. "This time, as you pull the action figure toward you, fix the cake behind it. You'll have to pay more attention to the cake before you start extracting."

Before Henry could start, they heard a key turn in the lock, and David walked through the door.

"David?" Regina asked.

"I got worried when you didn't call, so I—" David stopped mid-sentence as he took in the scene before him. Mother and son, on the couch, covered in the remains of several baked goods, as was the rest of the living room and, he discovered as he walked in further, the dining room.

Henry started giggling at the look on his grandfather's face. "Want some?" he asked, pointing at the chocolate cake on the ceiling.

David started laughing. Never had he thought he would see the prim and proper queen covered in and surrounded by such a mess, and he certainly never thought she would be so unfazed by it. With her arm around his giggling grandson and a broad smile on her face, she'd never been more beautiful. And that was saying something.

"What time is it?" Regina asked.

"Nearly four," David said, studying her closely.

They had been at their cake drill for nearly two hours. No wonder a thin layer of sweat coated her. "Henry," she said. "Let's save this next step for after you and David get back from working with the animals, okay?"

"Okay," Henry agreed. His brain was getting tired. And he wanted to see the kittens his mom delivered.

"How about you go and get cleaned up, kiddo?" David said. "The animals are going to fight each other trying to eat you if you don't scrub that sugar off."

"Mom, can't we just magically clean me up?" Henry asked hopefully.

"Not this time, dear," Regina replied. "We'll use our magic get-out-of-cleaning-free card when we clean the house later. For now, I'm afraid you'll have to get clean the old-fashioned way."

Henry rolled his eyes but headed toward the stairs. He didn't see what the big deal was. It was just a little more magic. But he and his mom had been having fun, and he didn't want to push his luck.

David slowly approached Regina, stopping in front of her as he heard the door to the bathroom upstairs close. "You're not getting up," he said.

"No," she confirmed.

"You haven't moved at all since I've come in here."

"You just got home," she countered.

"Okay, so stand," David challenged.

Regina gave him a petulant glare but didn't move.

"You are busted, my dear," David said, looking down at her.

The glare intensified.

"Later, we are going to discuss this, and we are going to talk about how you need to let me help you," David stated firmly. "But, for now, I am going to take you to your room," he scooped her up in his arms, "And you are going to rest while Henry and I spend a couple hours at the shelter." He took the stairs two at a time. "We will bring pizza home for dinner, and you will eat at least two slices without complaint."

"Fine, but they'd better be veggie," she demanded.

He slipped her under the covers. "Done."

She looked at the sheets around her and scowled. "I'm covered in cake."

He shook his head affectionately. "I'll help you wash them later. Now, rest," he said firmly.

"Okay," Regina sighed, and let her eyes drift shut. She was so tired. And her nerves felt jangly. They jangled less now, though, after David carried her up the stairs. They always jangled less when he touched her. It must be from the true love magic . . . .

David looked at her fondly and tucked the covers around her tighter before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

* * *

The envelopes were stacked neatly beside her coffee cup. All she had to do was give them to someone. Everything else was taken care of in her usual impeccably thorough manner.

Regina's heart felt heavy. She missed Henry and David.

But they were still living with her—for at least one more night. How was it possible to miss people who weren't gone?

* * *

Regina had woken up Tuesday evening to two slices of pizza delivered to her in bed by a smiling Henry and an assessing David. The pizza had been surprisingly easy to eat—she had been hungrier than she realized—and, after listening to her boys regale her with tales of their shenanigans at the shelter, David had watched them perform more "cake magic," as Henry had taken to calling it, until Henry was mending the cakes like a professional as he removed his action figures.

David had sent Henry to get ready for bed after Regina conjured the tenth post-pizza cake.

"You're wearing yourself out," he said.

"I'm fine," Regina replied.

"You're making me hate that word," David said, his aggravation bleeding into his voice.

"Sorry," she said sarcastically.

"Regina," he said, forcing himself to sound more patient than he felt, "You're wearing yourself into the ground. I don't want you to make yourself sick."

"Well, I don't want Henry to rip apart the fabric of space and time," Regina snapped.

David's temper flared, but he resisted the urge to snap back. Underneath the prickly, cake-covered exterior, he knew Regina was scared for her son.

"Regina, I know you're nervous," David said softly.

"Well, good for you," she replied sharply. "You know I'm nervous. All our problems are solved."

David growled in frustration. Things would never be easy with this woman.

"You've left me no choice," he said. Without further words, he strode over, sat down beside her, and pulled her into his arms.

"Cheater," she accused. "You know I don't have the energy to push you away."

"Ahh," David replied, "But this way you get to pretend that you actually want to push me away."

"Shut up," Regina said. She really was drained. Her banter was not up to its usual acerbic wit.

"Regina," he murmured against her hair, "I know you said the phases of the moon are important, but maybe we should wait until next Thursday to do the spell."

"Henry will be ready this Thursday," she said.

"What's the harm in waiting a week?" David asked. "You can get your strength back up; it will be safer for Henry."

"You're cheating again," Regina protested, even as she completely relaxed against his chest. His magic, their magic, it was so nice against her jumping skin and her spiky nerves. "Not fair using Henry's safety against me. Besides, he'll be safe either way. We should do it this Thursday. One less week for something bad to happen to Ms. Swan and Snow in the Enchanted Forest, and one less week for the fear to hang over Henry's head."

"All right," David agreed. "But no magic for either of you tomorrow. You both take the day off and rest before performing the big heroics on Thursday."

"Fine," Regina begrudgingly accepted his terms. "But we need at least three more cake-tests tonight then."

"Is it really necessary?" David challenged.

"Yes, it is." The conviction in her voice was clear despite her exhaustion.

"Okay," David said. "I'll get Henry, while you eat this piece of pizza."

Regina wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Do you have a thing for fat women, Charming?"

"More to love," he replied with a wink, before disappearing up the stairs.

* * *

It had taken six more cakes, but Henry had learned how to find only the action figures Regina told him to retrieve and leave the rest in the cake. And the cakes looked impeccable when he was through.

All that was left to do was bring Emma and Snow back.

And talk to Granny.


	26. For Henry

_**A/N: This chapter does not jump around in time. We are back to a more traditional narrative.**_

* * *

"May I speak with you for a moment?" Regina asked Granny after approaching her at the register.

Granny gave her that familar assessing gaze, and, once again sensing disquiet rather than aggression, nodded. "Come on back," she said as she led Regina to the storage room. It didn't take someone with wolf perception to sense that the former queen sought a private counsel.

"Thank you," Regina said. "I need a favor," she stated directly. She didn't think Granny would appreciate her dancing around the matter.

"It's not really for me," Regina amended. "More for Henry."

When Granny didn't immediately reject her request, she pulled two envelopes from her purse. Regina held both in her hands and contemplated them for a moment. Resolved, she then held them out to Granny.

"Would you please give these to Henry?" she asked.

A look of surprise flitted across Granny's features as she accepted the envelopes.

"The thinner one is for sometime this week," Regina said, avoiding eye contact and still looking at her envelopes. "The other one," she paused, regaining control of her voice, "the other one is for when he's older."

At this, she looked at Granny, the tears in her eyes betraying her. "I was thinking, maybe," Regina berated herself as she felt a tear slide down her cheek, "maybe, when he turns sixteen?" She looked to Granny, almost as if asking the older woman's advice.

A moment later, however, and Regina recollected herself and brushed the tears away. "But I trust you to know when to give it to him," she said, composed. "I think you'll know when he needs to read it."

Granny nodded in comprehension and acceptance, having recovered from her surprise.

"You're planning to die," she stated.

Regina's posture straightened, as if daring Granny to find fault with her decision, "I'm planning to protect my son," she said. "I would expect you, of all people, to understand that."

Granny remained expressionless, but she did, indeed, understand that. Making difficult choices in order to protect the ones you love was something she understood all too well.

"All right," Granny said finally.

"All right?" Regina asked, surprised at how quickly Granny agreed to her request.

Granny nodded.

"Thank you," Regina said with a small, grateful smile. "I'd like you to have a copy of this as well," she handed Granny the large envelope labeled 'Legal.' "It's custody paperwork for Henry," she explained. "As much as Ms. Swan or her mother might think that they have rights to Henry free and clear, those rights are still legally mine."

When Granny didn't protest, Regina continued, "I hope you don't mind, but I included you on this list. If something happens to only me, custody will transfer to David. If both of us are killed, Grumpy and Astrid are next. Then, though, I listed you. It seems unfair to ask you to take on such responsibility when you've already raised your own children and Ruby, but I know that you have the courage and kindness to take care of him."

"I'd be honored," Granny said. "Why not include Emma and Snow in this list, though?"

"I don't know if we'll be able to get them back," Regina replied. "And, if we do, I trust you, David, Grumpy, and Astrid to make the right decision about including them in his life. I'm not on a mission to keep Henry from his biological family, as undoubtedly easier as my life would have been without Ms. Swan in it. The face of the matter is that we simply don't know what they will be like if we get them back. We don't know what they've been through over there. I can't take the chance that they might not be fit parents when they return."

Granny nodded. It was an unpleasant possibility, to be sure, but it was a reasonable one. "What about after me? Now that time is ticking, I might be crossed off the line of succession quicker than other people in this town."

"Don't say that," Regina protested. "You've years in you yet."

"You'd better hope so," Granny replied. "The way I figure it, we're the same age."

"Really?" Regina quirked an eyebrow.

"Mmm, hmm," Granny hummed affirmatively. "You had your years in the Enchanted Forest, plus the twenty-eight years of the curse. That puts you around my age."

"Oh, and those twenty-eight years don't count for you?" Regina rejoined.

"Nope," Granny replied. "You were aware of them. I wasn't. The way I see it, we're the same. You just had Magic-induced Botox."

Regina chuckled. She knew she liked Granny. "Archie, Kathryn, and then Ruby. Ruby would have been higher on the list, but I didn't want to saddle her with motherhood unless I had to," she explained. "But try not to let it come to that, will you?" She gave Granny a small, but genuine smile.

"How about you try not to let it come to that either?" Granny countered.

"Yes, well," Regina smoothed her clothes, unwilling to discuss her decision further. "One last piece of paper," she said. "This is for whoever takes custody of Henry. It's his medical history as well as a list of people that are never, ever to be trusted because of how much they—probably justifiably—hate me."

Granny nodded in understanding and tactfully withheld comment on the length of the list.

"I think that's everything," Regina said, wrapping up. "Thank you," she said earnestly. As she turned to leave, she heard Granny's voice.

"What is this?" Granny asked, indicating the thickest of the original two envelopes.

"My story," Regina replied and continued to leave.

"You listed David as first to take custody of Henry. Does that mean that you don't expect him to die too?" Granny asked abruptly.

Granny's tone did not contain a hint of accusation or anger, but Regina remained turned away from her as she shook her head, "No. I don't."

"Why, then," Granny asked, "are you giving these letters to me instead of him?" She watched the queen carefully for any kind of reaction. "Wouldn't it make more sense to give these to the boy's grandfather?"

"Maybe it would," Regina replied briskly as she reached for the handle of the storage room door.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Granny demanded.

At this, Regina turned around and snapped in her best Mayor Mills fashion, "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

But Granny had lived too long to be deterred by something as feeble as an angry tone. She stepped closer to Regina and said, "David doesn't know that you are planning on sacrificing yourself for Henry and his family, does he?"

Interpreting the queen's silence as confirmation of her theory, Granny continued in a softer tone, "Don't you think he deserves to know?"

"Why would he?" Regina asked. Her tone had lost its aggressive edge, replaced with a wistfulness Granny had never heard from her.

"Well, if you insist on being dense about it," Granny replied gruffly. It wasn't her place to sort out whatever mess the prince and the queen may have created between themselves.

Regina gave an involuntary smirk at Granny's benign insult. She had picked the right person to have custody of her letters.

Then, looking at Granny seriously, Regina said, "I don't want him going all 'Hero' on me and doing something foolish."

"What? Like getting himself killed?" Granny asked in a tone of mock-confrontation.

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Yes," she hissed. "Like getting himself killed."

"Because it would be pretty stupid of a person to get him or herself killed," Granny said innocently.

"All magic comes with a price," Regina responded.

"And is this the right way to pay it?" Granny challenged.

"It is," Regina replied with conviction.

"What makes you so sure?" Granny was not going to let this go. She was not categorically opposed to suicide missions, but she was not convinced that Regina had exhausted their other options.

"Henry will be reunited with his family," Regina said simply with a brief shrug of her shoulders.

"And what about you?" Granny asked. Regina was Henry's mother too, even if the boy sometimes took her for granted.

Misunderstanding her question, Regina responded, "I suppose I'll get what I deserve." She then left the storage room. She had already said more than she'd intended.

* * *

David was entering the diner as Regina was leaving it. Ruby had called him to tell him that Regina was 'wigging out the other customers' by staring into a cup of coffee for hours. He'd decided to leave Henry with Mowgli at the shelter and to come check on Regina. He knew she was still exhausted from all of Henry's magic the day before, and he knew she'd accept more help from him if Henry wasn't present.

He was about to speak, but his words caught in his throat at the look on her face.

Regina looked up at the man holding the door open for her and was suddenly overcome with . . . everything. It was all too much.

_Just once_, she thought. _Just for this moment, I want something good._ Of course, the last time she'd had thoughts like that, she'd enacted the curse, but this was nearly harmless. All right, it would upset Snow White, but Snow White would have her whole life to get over it.

And Regina would be too dead to care.

Instead of continuing out the door, she turned to face her gallant doorstop, stepping close enough so her body brushed his. Before he could translate his confusion into words, she grabbed his lapel, pulled him toward her, and claimed his lips with her own.

Their humming magic was background to the sheer sensation of complete connection. Regina slid her arms around David's neck as he pulled her flush against him, feeling her mouth open underneath his.

Desperation radiated from Regina, and David matched it with his own. They both poured everything into their kiss as they hungrily attempted to communicate all they'd left unsaid. The fear, the assurance, the hope, the fidelity they had built between them flowed torrentially through their kiss.

They were here. They were real. And they were holding onto each other. Tightly.

After several moments, they pulled apart, breathless and still within each other's embrace.

For a moment they just looked at each other, David trying to understand what was going on with Regina and Regina trying not to tell him.

A customer trying to exit the diner reminded them of where they were, and the stunned looks on all of the diner patron's faces reminded them that this was their first loss of control in public.

And the knowing grin on Granny's face reminded Regina that she needed to leave.

She would apologize for putting David in such an awkward position—and abandoning him to the fallout—but, well, she wasn't sorry. And she respected him too much to offer him an empty apology. So, with a quirk of an eyebrow, her trademark smirk, and another quick peck to his lips, she walked away.

David hadn't even had a chance to say hello.

* * *

_**A/N: Feedback would be lovely.**_


	27. The Aftermath

**A/N: Thank you so much for the amazing feedback on the last installment! I hope you enjoy this as well.**

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Ruby demanded from across the diner, a look of complete shock drawn across her features.

David remained in the doorway. His impulse was to follow Regina, to try to find out what was going on. To kiss her again. And again. But as he scanned the faces in the diner, he realized that damage control was going to take precedence. Besides, he was discovering that, sometimes, the best way to figure out what was going on with Regina was to talk to anyone except her.

He took a step into the diner and let the door close behind him.

"That was a kiss," he told Ruby, matter-of-factly.

"Some kiss," Granny mumbled under her breath as she fanned herself with a take-out menu.

Ruby took several long-strides across the diner, her graceful predatory nature clear with every step, and slapped David across the face. Hard.

"That is for cheating on my friend while she is gods' know where doing gods' know what trying to _find you_," she spat.

David used a hand to work out his jaw. Getting smacked by an angry were-woman hurt more than some of the hits he'd taken fighting dragons.

"I suppose I deserved that," he acknowledged, Ruby's eyes flaring in anger. He didn't need to look around to know they still had the rapt attention of everyone in the diner. "But, Snow's best friend or not, Ruby, you are not entitled to an explanation. My relationship with Regina is just that. _My_ relationship with Regina. It is our business, not yours. Just as Snow and my relationship is between Snow and me, not you and not anybody else."

Ruby looked flabbergasted. James had made out—made out!—with the Evil Queen in front of everyone, and he didn't even apologize. He was not himself.

Horrified, Ruby exclaimed, "You're bewitched! Quick, someone get the Blue Fairy—we need to undo this dark magic."

Irate at her assumption, David interjected. "No one move," he commanded. Temper flaring but tightly controlled, he told Ruby, "I am not bewitched. And you know me well enough to know I'm not bewitched, so stop it."

"But," Ruby's protest sounded weak to her own ears. _What was happening?_

"Regina has not used magic against me, Ruby. And, not that it's any of your business, but what you witnessed is the extent of our physical relationship. Both of us agreed, well, neither of us want to hurt Snow," David told his friend. The diner was so still and quiet that his soft tones carried through the room.

Ruby scoffed. "All Regina has ever wanted was to hurt Snow."

"It certainly used to be a fixation of hers, yes," David acquiesced. He believed Ruby's summary grossly misrepresented the complexity of Regina's feelings toward Snow, but that was a battle for another day. "Not anymore," he said firmly.

Ruby looked into the face of her best friend's husband, disgusted and angry. But there was no more to say. "I'm going on break," she told Granny. Then she pushed through David and left the diner.

David resisted the urge to look around and gauge the reactions of the rest of the witnesses to his and Regina's display of affection and instead met Granny's gaze. She indicated the bar stool closest to the register and said, "Ready to order?" Then she announced to the room at large, "Show's over, folks. Get back to your own affairs."

David smiled as he took a seat. Granny always could command the troops.

"I think your new queen is having a good influence on you," Granny commented. "That was some backbone you showed there. Potentially foolish backbone, but backbone all the same."

David gave her a wry smile. "Didn't see much point in elaborating, since they wouldn't believe me anyway," he shrugged. "And," he sighed, "Snow deserves to hear the full explanation first. It's bad enough that our stunt means she will probably hear about it from someone else before I have the chance to tell her."

"'Our stunt'?" Granny asked. "You don't blame Regina for kissing you in front of everyone?"

David shook his head. "She started it, sure," he allowed, "But it takes two to escalate it the way we did. And if we hadn't done that, well, maybe we could have played it off as less than it was."

Granny nodded in understanding.

"You don't seem surprised," David observed.

"I'm never surprised," Granny replied. With a glint in her eye, she added, "I'm just glad she accepted your apology salad."

David chuckled. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Regina had only made it two blocks when her phone alerted her to a text message.

_David: Left Henry at shelter with Mowgli. You want to pick him up?_

As she typed her reply, her phone altered her to a follow-up message.

_David: BTW, nice to see you too._

She blushed. "Smart-ass," she smirked and turned around to walk to the animal shelter.

* * *

"Ruby said Regina was here for a few hours?" David asked.

Granny gave a quick nod. "I was in the back most of the time, but, as I understand it, she showed up around two, took the booth with the best strategic lines of sight and wasted them staring blankly into her coffee. Ruby also said that your ex, Kathryn, stopped by but didn't even stick around to order anything."

Granny hesitated. Regina hadn't sworn her to secrecy, but the woman clearly didn't want David to know that she was anticipating her own death. And, while Granny wasn't one to let other people's preferences stand in the way of doing what was right, she wasn't convinced the fallen queen was wrong. David was impetuous and could very well do something incredibly foolish if he knew of the risk to the woman for whom he clearly had strong feelings.

The decision of what to disclose and what to withhold was further complicated by Granny's own contradictory feelings regarding said woman. Personally, she was beginning to quite like her. She was no-nonsense, didn't make excuses, and knew how to get things done—all characteristics Granny valued. Additionally, she'd seen none of the grating falseness of the mayor or the raging pain of the queen since Snow and Emma disappeared into that wretched hat.

But that begged the question. If Regina survived, would she revert once Snow and Emma were back? There was no doubt the woman was dangerous when cornered, and reuniting the Charming family would certainly threaten Regina's access to everyone she loved.

And Storybrooke would undoubtedly be a calmer place to reside with the Evil Queen gone. But Granny would have to be a fool to think Regina was the biggest or last threat in Storybrooke. Even before she came to appreciate her as a person, Granny liked the idea of Regina's power checking Rumpelstiltskin's and vice versa. Much as she didn't want confrontations occurring in her diner, the strategist in her appreciated the value of keeping multiple powerful players on the board, especially if those players would never fully trust each other. It kept everyone else safer.

All that thoughtful logic flew out the window, though, as she looked at David's crestfallen face.

"She's going to die, isn't she?" he asked heartbroken. "I finally found her, the real her, and we're never going to have a chance . . . she's never going to have a chance . . . no one else is even going to know—" David gulped for air, "How very Good she really is."

Granny's heart clenched. It had been years, but she remembered love like that. And Evil or non-Evil Queen aside, she didn't want to watch the boy in front of her lose it.

"Chin up, David," she spoke gruffly. "Unless I'm very much mistaken, the witch isn't dead yet," the twinkle in her eye tempering the harshness of her phrasing. "Now, who should I call up from the reserves?" she asked, picking up the phone as David grinned.

* * *

Regina was halfway to the animal shelter when she heard the unmistakable sounds of destruction from the alley to her right. She paused, debating whether to investigate. Typically, she'd ignore it and move on—it's not like anyone in this town wanted her help anyway—but she was going to have to walk back this way with Henry in order to get home, and she'd rather know the route was safe than leave whatever this was unaddressed. And, tired as she was, she probably had just enough magic to protect herself and possibly enough bravado to make it unnecessary.

"Hello?" she called into the alleyway. Maybe whoever it was would spook and run. Save them both a lot of trouble.

"Go away," the sulky and irritated voice of Ruby answered.

Regina sighed. She should just go. Walk away. The temper-tantrum of some wolf-turned-waitress was hardly her problem.

But Henry loved Ruby. And she was important to David.

She walked into the alley. "You sure you don't want to yell at me first?" Regina asked.

Ruby glared at her from where she sat, slumped against the wall. From the debris scattered about the alley, it appeared she had just finished demolishing several wooden crates formerly stacked by the dumpster.

Regina indicated the broken slats, "Feel better?'

Ruby huffed in irritation, "Of course not."

Regina smirked knowingly, "Never made me feel better either. But it made me feel less, less—" at loss for the word Regina gesticulated broadly with her arms—"Or maybe it did just make me feel less."

"No, I know what you mean," Ruby said.

"Like a release valve," Regina finally found an analogy.

"Yeah," Ruby perked up a little. That was what it was. Not a solution, just a valve.

"Mind if I sit?" Regina asked, gesturing to the spot next to her.

Ruby shrugged. "Whatever."

Regina examined the spot more closely. "On second thought, maybe I mind if I sit," she wrinkled her face in distaste, but then took a seat anyway.

After a moment of silence, Ruby snapped, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Nothing to say," Regina replied.

"Then why are you here?" Ruby asked impatiently.

"You didn't turn down my offer to yell at me," Regina replied. "And the offer hasn't expired yet."

Ruby let out a huff of exasperation but otherwise didn't respond immediately. "You could say you're sorry," the younger woman said.

"I could," Regina acknowledged. "But I'm not."

Ruby's head snapped toward the former queen.

"If the same circumstances arose again, and I knew then what I know now, I would still want to kiss him," Regina said. "And I would do it again," she said matter-of-factly.

"You're a bitch," Ruby said.

"Are you trying to be funny?" Regina teased. Then, more seriously, she said, "Yes, I suppose I am. I'm also quite selfish." Ruby's agreement was clear from her expression. "But I didn't kiss him for revenge," Regina stated.

"I know," Ruby replied.

"You know?" Regina asked, surprised.

"I know," Ruby confirmed.

"Then why are you in an alleyway breaking garbage?" Regina asked.

"Snow White is my best friend," Ruby said.

"Yes, well, if I were stuck with Snow White for a best friend, I would break something too," Regina replied. "Come to think of it, I did. Break several somethings as a matter of fact. But I'm still not following."

"Snow White is my best friend," Ruby repeated. "More than that. She is my family. And when she comes home, I have to tell her to give up on her marriage. I have to tell her that her husband fell in love with someone else and that her happily ever after is over."

"No, you don't," Regina said.

"I won't lie to her," Ruby said.

"Then don't say anything," Regina replied. "David knows that we aren't going to be together when Snow and Emma get back. He'll go back to her, forget about me, and Snow White's happily ever after will be safely intact."

Ruby looked at her in disbelief. "You can't possibly believe that," she said. "And I thought you were smart. Evil, but smart."

"He fell in love with her once. He'll do it again," Regina said flatly.

"Wow. You really don't get it, do you?" Ruby asked, nearly dumbfounded. "It's not just that he's clearly in love with you; it's not just in the way he looks at you," Ruby looked at her intently. "It's in the way you look at him."

Regina studied her fingernails intently.

"Snow loved him, she did. She does," Ruby said. "But she never looked at him like that. Not like she really saw him, him beyond the quests and title, and wanted the place beside him to be hers and no one else's." Ruby sighed. "She never looked at him like that." Ruby dipped her head to look at the queen's face. "But you do."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina replied, mayoral mask in place.

"Right," Ruby said, clearly not believing her. "Time for me to get back to the diner anyway," she said, standing. "Granny's going to have my head as it is for walking out like that. I'll probably have to do inventory alone as punishment."

Regina chuckled quietly at the possible punishments Granny could inflict on her tempestuous granddaughter, but abruptly stopped, irritation flashing across her face. "Damn it," she muttered.

"Everything all right down there?" Ruby asked, slightly entertained by the older woman's frustration.

"Please-help-me-up," Regina exhaled the words one after the other.

"What was that?" Ruby teased.

Regina glared at her, knowing full well that Ruby's wolf hearing meant she'd heard every word. "Please. Help. Me. Up."

Ruby offered Regina her hand and hauled the woman to her feet, surprised when Regina swayed a bit before gaining her balance and releasing her hand.

Regina gave Ruby a hard look. "Don't tell anyone," she said.

"Or what?" Ruby asked. "You'll rip out my heart and crush it? I eat people."

Regina quirked an eyebrow. "A fight between us would be messy, that much is clear," she stated.

"Don't worry," Ruby said, "Not like I want people knowing I was hanging out with The Evil Queen anyway."

"So sweet of you, dear," Regina replied sardonically, slowly following Ruby back toward the street.

As they neared the end of the alley, Ruby suddenly turned to face Regina. "He didn't get shocked."

"Again, I'm not following," Regina said. She was too tired for this.

"David. He didn't get shocked," Ruby repeated. "When he kissed me—not nearly as thoroughly as he kissed you, by the way—he ended up sizzled on the floor. Then, he examines your tonsils with his tongue, and he's fine. No sizzle. Okay, plenty of sizzle, actually, but not in the literal way."

"Is there a point to this vivid and oh-so-tasteful commentary?" Regina asked.

"What gives?" Ruby asked.

Regina rolled her eyes, remembering why she'd actually watched the television the curse provided her. The vernacular here was impossible to understand. "It's his decision whether he'd like to explain that," Regina said.

"Fine," Ruby huffed. "Later," she said in salutation as she headed back toward the diner.

Regina gave a brief nod and then headed the opposite direction to the animal shelter.

* * *

"I'm in," Ruby said simply as she dropped into a chair beside the booth holding Astrid, Grumpy, Granny, and David.

"What's that, sister?" Grumpy asked.

"Whatever batshit crazy plan you're hatching to save Regina's life," Ruby clarified. "I'm in."

Granny smiled in pride at her granddaughter.

"Thanks, Ruby," David said with gratitude.

* * *

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed when she entered the animal shelter. "Can we get a dog?"

Regina smiled tightly as she took in the sight of her son with his arms around a mangy mutt that bore a striking resemblance to the romantic lead in Disney's animated _Lady and the Tramp_—one of the only Disney movies she'd allowed Henry to watch as a child. Not because it was any more accurate than any of the other adapted monstrosities, but because watching a couple get their happy ending was easier to stomach when the couple in question was in canine form. Besides, it amused her to think of Lady Ariella's reaction if she knew that millions of people thought of her as a cocker spaniel. And she liked Scottie's accent.

He looked so hopeful. She almost said yes just to make him happy. And to stick it to Emma, who would no doubt have the lion's share of the work taking care of the mutt after Henry lost interest in the responsibility of owning a pet.

But, her better angels won out. "How about we focus on getting Ms. Swan and Snow back first, okay, dear?"

Henry nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "But if Emma says yes, can I get one?"

Regina laughed. "We can talk it over once she's back," she said. As soon as the words left her lips, she felt the guilt hit her in the gut. The normality of her refusing Henry's request for a dog had made her forget—just for a moment—that she most likely wouldn't be around for that conversation. Would Henry ever forgive her?

Regina squared her shoulders and put her hands around her son's shoulder as they began to leave. "Thank you, Mowgli," she called to the back and smiled as she heard a "Welcome, ma'am," in response. For some reason, when the jungle boy said "ma'am" it sounded respectful rather than sarcastic. It was nice.

"Now, how about we go home, make some dinner, and watch a movie?" Regina asked.

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?" Henry asked.

"Sure, dear," Regina smiled. "Is that your way of saying you want spaghetti for dinner too?"

"Yep!" Henry replied. "A Theme Night! Like we used to do."

Regina's smile broadened. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

"I can't believe this place can run without you two," David said, amazed as orders were taken and food was served during the dinner rush despite Granny and Ruby's presence at his table.

"Chuck's pretty good. As are the line cooks," Granny said. "But Ruby and I should get back to help, so let's get on with it."

David nodded and addressed Astrid, "Regina seems to think she's going to die. And you didn't seem happy about the linking spell on Sunday. Do you know what's going on?"

"Not completely," Astrid replied. "Has she told you how you'll be anchoring Henry?"

"Anchoring?" David asked, puzzled. "Regina mentioned 'anchoring' briefly a couple days ago, but she said she'd be doing it. She said that she and Henry would be handling the magic, but that I should come along in case something goes wrong or either Snow or Emma is hurt when we get them back."

"Oh my goodness," Astrid replied, feeling a sudden pressure on her chest. "She is going to die. If we don't do something, figure something out, she is going to die."

Grumpy and Ruby both bit back their instinctual response of "Good riddance." Grumpy, because he loved Astrid, and he loved the confidence that Regina had helped her find. Ruby, because the woman in the alleyway had seemed all right. And because she didn't want to condemn the man beside her to a life where his true love was all in the past.

"What do we do?" David asked. "What is anchoring and how do I do it?"

* * *

"Want to make the pasta from scratch tonight?" Regina asked. She was still bone-weary, but she was determined to savor this evening with her son. Even if she survived the spell tomorrow, it was likely her last.

"Yeah!" Henry said, bending down to extract the pasta cranker from between the food processor and Dutch oven and handing it to his mother.

"Thanks, dear," Regina said, setting it on the counter. She then glared at her injured hand, tempted to heal it, but knowing that she should conserve her magical energy. Just as well, this would be a good excuse for why she was teaching Henry how to make everything rather than doing it herself.

"All right," she said, setting the flour and eggs on the counter. "Wash your hands, and we'll get started."

* * *

"Anchoring is a critical element of any enchantments that involve multiple dimensions," Astrid explained. "Accessing other dimensions isn't actually that hard; it's not destroying yourself in the process that is difficult. The presence of successful anchoring properties is what made that hat such a precious magical object and what made the curse that brought us here so impressive, magically speaking."

"But, if Regina was able to anchor herself while ripping us out of our lives and bringing us here, shouldn't she be able to do it this time too?" Ruby asked.

"If that was all she had to do, probably," Astrid replied. "But, she's not just anchoring, she's also buffering for someone else's magic—a barely trained child's no less—and that combination . . . Surviving it is unprecedented." Astrid finished quietly.

The group was somber until David spoke with his trademark conviction, "A dark curse of that magnitude was also unprecedented, so precedents aren't relevant where Regina is concerned." He turned his attention back to Astrid, "Why did you think I was going to do the anchoring for Henry? Is it something I can do for Regina?"

"I thought you would do it, because you truly love Henry, and true love for the caster is necessary for vicarious anchoring to work," Astrid replied. "As to whether you could do it successfully by yourself, I don't know . . . this could be the reason Regina decided to do it herself. She knows her magical capabilities and must have felt certain that she could keep Henry safe better than a novice magic user, regardless of how true your love is."

"But, there must be a way, Astrid," David insisted. "She shouldn't have to die for this."

Ruby bit her tongue to keep from mouthing off a smart-ass comment. She didn't want Henry to lose his mom, and she didn't want David to lose his friend, girlfriend, whatever, but every time she remembered that the person in question was the woman that hunted and persecuted her friend for years, her commitment to help weakened.

"Henry deserves both his mothers," Granny stated, as if she knew the direction of her granddaughter's thoughts.

David nodded in agreement and turned to Astrid again, "There must be a way to keep Henry and Regina safe. Where do we start?"

Astrid looked at David, at a loss, before suddenly recollecting something and rummaging through her purse. "Ah, ha! Here it is," she said, pulling a thick, but oddly proportioned leather-bound book from her bag.

"That's why your purse weighs five hundred diamond carts?" Grumpy exclaimed. "You've been carrying around a brick of a book?"

"Regina leant it to me," Astrid explained.

"The Evil Queen loaned you a book?" Grumpy asked skeptically.

"She's not evil," Astrid replied. "And, yes, she did. Before I helped with the linking charm for Henry on Sunday, we'd been talking about which reference texts should be considered fundamental to magical training, and I had never read this one. There are so few copies in existence," her words trailed off as she thumbed through the book looking for a specific passage.

"Why don't they just make more copies?" Ruby asked.

Astrid looked up from the page, "Have you ever seen a magical object enforce its copyright?" she asked rhetorically.

"Oh," Ruby replied.

Reading furiously while the rest of her companions imagined the horrific and creative ways the book in her hands could attack them should they attempt to copy it without the long-dead author's permission, Astrid finally found the phrase she needed. She re-read it. She re-read it again. She shut the book.

"I know what we can do," she said and looked around the table, cataloguing the composition of their group. Nodding in confirmation of her mental calculation, she said, "But it's going to require all of us. And each of you must be certain that you are willing to participate."

* * *

Regina was sitting in the chair in the corner of Henry's bedroom when she heard the door to David's truck close. She had peeked her head in to check on him and hadn't been able to resist watching him sleep. Just for a little while.

Checking her watch, 'a little while' had turned into well over an hour. Sighing, she placed a kiss on Henry's forehead and brushed his hair back. She wondered if he'd keep growing it out as he got older. She gazed at him a moment longer and then walked downstairs to meet David.

* * *

David was locking the front door behind him when he heard Regina walk down the stairs.

"Hello," he said, turning to face her.

"Hello," she replied, keeping her distance. The last thing she needed to do was accost him again. She was trying to redeem herself, trying to be better. She didn't want Henry to remember her as the Evil Queen. And taking Snow White's husband to bed, even if she didn't intend it as an act of revenge, would certainly be perceived that way. And here, without Granny and a diner full of patrons to remind them to keep their clothes on . . . well, distance was good.

"I have bad news," David said, and she heard a warning in his tone. "You're not going to die tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N: I'll try to get the next update posted within a week. Reviews would be lovely.**


	28. Preparations

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, folks. It has been one heck of a week. Thanks again for all of the support you're showing this story, and I hope you enjoy this.**

* * *

"_I have bad news," David said, and she heard a warning in his tone. "You're not going to die tomorrow."_

"What?" Regina asked, stunned. What did David think he knew? And did he really think he could prevent it, or was this his trademark unfounded heroic resolve?

David closed the distance between them and looked her directly in the eyes, an act made easier by the fact that his statement had stopped her descent two stairs from the base of the entryway. "You are not going to die tomorrow." He spoke each word with exaggerated diction, his anger obvious in every syllable.

Regina's composure was not reassembling itself properly. She'd spent years training herself to appear composed regardless of the circumstances. She'd found it a surprisingly useful tool in her arsenal, often causing a loss of composure and control in her opponents. She couldn't understand why her controlled calm façade was abandoning her now.

Maybe because she no longer thought of David as an opponent.

"I didn't want to upset Henry, not when he had so much magic to perform," she explained lamely.

"You know I'm not angry about you not telling Henry—though I expect he will be—" Regina's eyebrows shot up in alarm, and he continued, "I won't tell him, Regina, but secrets like these, they always come out. So you will have to answer to Henry. But right now, I want you to answer to me."

Regina's gaze flitted between his eyes and the set of his chin, mild fear obvious in her posture. She knew David would not hurt her, but she had never seem him this kind of angry before—like he had expected more from her and she had withheld it. He was seething.

"Are you certain?" she asked, more meekly than she wished. She was so tired. And he was so angry. And—if she were being honest with herself—he was so justified. "That I'm not going to die?"

"Yes," he said sharply. "What the hell, Regina?" he demanded.

Regina felt an unfamiliar thrill, like an expansion in her heart. He was livid, completely livid. Because he cared about her. She broke in to a broad smile.

"Why are you smiling?" David asked, still angry. She had deceived him, attempted to martyr herself without telling him, and she had the gall to smile in his face.

Regina grasped his arm. "I'm sorry, dear. I don't mean to make fun." She saw his features soften slightly at her sincerity, even as she still wore a small smile. "Would you mind if we moved to the living room? By all means, continue to yell at me. I'd just prefer to be seated."

Recalling that his ire was rooted in concern for her health, David immediately acquiesced. "Of course," he replied, offering her his arm as though escorting her into a ballroom.

Regina smiled gratefully and accepted his support. A gesture that would have seemed artificial, pretentious, or at least extremely out of place if performed by anyone else felt natural, kind, and even regal coming from the shepherd.

Leading to the couch, David sat next to her. "You owe me an apology," he stated.

Regina had the decency to look ashamed as she kept her eyes directed on her fidgeting hands. "I didn't think you could do anything about it," she said.

"Doesn't matter," David chided. "We're a team, Regina." He ducked his head to make eye contact with her. "Even if you were right, and we were forced to accept that the only way to get Snow and Emma back was for you to die—" he tilted her chin toward him, wanting to be certain that she attended to his next words, "—a trade that I would _never_ make, Regina—never. Even if we knew you were going to die, you should have told me. You should have let me shoulder that burden with you." He caressed her cheek, "Hell, Regina, you should have given me the chance to say good-bye." She shivered under his touch, their humming magic secondary to the warmth that suffused her at his intense sincerity. "That wasn't fair, Regina, and you know it."

"I didn't think I could do it," she breathed.

Confusion etched David's features. "What?"

"If I told you that I was going to die—that I was going to have to leave you, leave Henry, forever—if I had to see the look that is on your face right now," Regina took a fortifying breath, "I couldn't have done it. I couldn't have left you. I'm too selfish." She looked down again. One more reason she would never be worthy of Henry.

David tilted her head back up again. "Next time, Regina," he smiled slightly, "Be selfish." He ran his thumb across her cheekbone and leaned in close to her ear. "I'm selfish too," he whispered, brushing his lips along the shell of her ear, "And I want you to be around for a long time."

Regina felt a shiver shoot up from the base of her spine and a familiar fog begin to descend upon her brain as she tilted her throat toward him. Before the motion was complete, however, she suddenly sprung off the sofa with energy she didn't know she had and moved to the opposite section of the couch.

David observed her, amused at her flustered state, despite the fact that it mirrored his own. "Something in particular you like about that section of the couch?" he teased.

She shot him an irritated glare and chucked a throw pillow at his head—no wonder they were called throw pillows, she thought absurdly—"You don't want to cheat on your wife," Regina reminded him. "And I don't want you to either." That reminder was more for herself, even though she couldn't care less about Snow's feelings—_she_ hadn't vowed fidelity to the woman. But she knew breaking his vow would tear David up from the inside out.

"Can't control yourself around me, huh?" David teased.

"I didn't hear you complaining in the diner," Regain retorted with a satisfied smirk.

David let out a brief laugh. "Yeah, thanks for that," he looked at her with mock-anger as Regina's smirk widened.

"You're welcome," she said.

For a moment, they just smiled at each other, enjoying their bond and sense of togetherness, however undefined it may be.

Finally, Regina cleared her throat softly, "I seem to recall you having some kind of plan to keep me alive?"

"Oh, right," David said, smiling sheepishly at having forgotten to communicate the details of that rather important topic. "It's not my plan; it's Astrid's . . ."

* * *

Regina fixed breakfast for the three of them in something of a stupor. Her brain was moving at both the speed of light, dancing across hundreds of thoughts without landing on a single one, and in slow motion, almost as if stuck in molasses-thickened mud, making it difficult for her to really understand how her life had come to this inexplicable point. She had cursed everyone she had ever met and everyone they had ever met, spent eighteen years in solitary confinement surrounded by people, spent the next ten loving a boy she'd condemned to similar isolation, become reacquainted with the pain and rage that had prompted her casting the curse upon its breaking, and was now living in a home with people she loved awaiting the arrival of her enemy's allies who had volunteered to save her from certain death.

If this was any indication of what Rumpel saw when he looked into the future, it was no wonder the imp was crazy.

She caught herself humming as she poured the batter into the waffle iron. What was going on? It was as if she was happy. The observation gave her pause. She re-examined her feelings. The joy that bubbled up within her was unmistakable, even to someone as unfamiliar with it as she was.

She was happy.

She knew that the return of Snow and Emma would change things. Would likely mean that neither David nor Henry would live with her any more. Could even mean imprisonment or execution if the town finally got it together enough to try her for her crimes.

But she pushed those thoughts aside. For now, she was happy.

Maybe this time, that could be enough.

She heard a knock at the door as she served David and Henry the first batch of waffles. She had been relieved when she had woken up with the energy to make them breakfast. Almost as if they were a real family.

"I'll get it," she ruffled Henry's hair, and brushed her fingertips across David's shoulder on the way past the table and to the door.

She opened her front door and had to quell the flash of panic that shot through her nervous system at the sight of the group on the other side. This was the part in her dreams when Henry would push her toward them and tell her she deserved to be executed. A long exhale left her body when she didn't feel two small hands push her and when she saw the encouraging expression on Astrid's face. Astrid was never part of the mob in her dreams.

"Please, come in," Regina said, opening the door widely and attempting a smile. She suspected it came out more as a grimace. She'd have to work on that. "Are any of you hungry? I'm making everything I can think of for breakfast this morning. The fresh fruit is particularly good."

"Apples?" Ruby asked, not quite teasing.

Regina responded with good humor that surprised only Ruby, "Why do you think I picked Maine? Great climate for apples."

Ruby caught the twinkle in Regina's eye and rejoined, "I'm more of a meat girl, myself."

Regina gave her a half smile. "I'm sure I can find something dead and bleeding in the fridge," she said as she indicated that they follow her into the kitchen.

"Hey Ruby, Granny, Grumpy, and Astrid!" Henry greeted. They never had this many people over; he was really excited. This was way better than Operation Cobra. Not only was his mom in the Operation this time, but his team included his dragon-fighting grandfather, a werewolf, his favorite dwarf, a fairy, and Granny. Granny didn't have a cool label, but she didn't need one. She was Granny. Everyone knew she was tough. And he couldn't wait to tell Emma all about how they got her and Mary Margaret back.

"How about some steak and eggs, Ruby?" Regina asked, looking through the refrigerator.

"Sure," Ruby replied. "Just a sear, please," she added with a wink.

Regina smirked back and turned to Granny, "Same thing?"

Granny gave her a brisk nod and added, "Medium rare for me. Now that I don't turn, I don't like my meat quite as bloody as the young pup over here," she said indicating Ruby.

Regina's smile was more comfortable and natural at Granny's obvious love for her granddaughter. "How about you two?" she asked Grumpy and Astrid, smirking a bit as she caught Grumpy with a handful of apple.

Grumpy looked at her with feigning ignorance that there was anything out of the ordinary about him eating apples provided by Regina. "I'll stick with the fruit," he said deliberately.

Regina shook her head in amusement and looked toward Astrid, who was smiling fondly at Grumpy. "Me too," Astrid said, stealing an apple from her dwarf.

Regina heard Henry's voice as she turned on the burner. "Mom, I thought you said we had to do this today because of the moon," he said. "So why are we doing this during the day?"

Regina smiled at her son's attention to detail. "The moon still exists even when you can't see it, dear," she explained. "The presence of the sun just makes most people forget about it."

Henry nodded. That made sense.

"We could have done this at night, but I thought the town would be less nervous about spells cast in daylight than in the dark. I don't know why, but darkness seems to make people uneasy," she said, seasoning the steaks. "Also, I didn't want any of us tripping over roots in the woods and getting hurt."

Henry made a face, as though the reason was boring.

Sensing his lack of enthusiasm, Regina laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. Not everything has a glamorous explanation."

Later, all seven of them were cozily and surprisingly comfortably settled around the table engaged in small talk and enjoying breakfast. After finishing her coffee, Regina caught David's eye, and he gave her a slight nod in response to her silent question.

"Please excuse us for a moment," Regina said, standing, and David followed her from the kitchen while the other five continued to chat merrily.

When they reached the living room, out of sight and earshot, Regina turned to David, "Is it strange that this doesn't feel strange?" she asked, referring to the group in her kitchen, as she stepped into his loose arms.

David smiled at her and shook his head. "No," he said. "This is as it should be. It just took us all a while to figure that out."

"I'll meet you where the path starts," she said.

David nodded. They had decided that he would drive Henry to the trail head, and Regina would teleport herself and the others directly to the well. It would have the benefit of allowing Regina to warm up her magic as well as talk to the other adults without Henry present. With David driving, though, they would still have the truck available after the spell; in case Emma or Snow or one of them needed medical attention, they could all fit into the bed of the truck. Regina didn't think any of them should drive immediately after using this level of magic, but Astrid would probably be able to drive safely, as someone with magical experience who would not be exhausted from buffering the magical rollercoaster of an exuberant ten year old.

"Don't try to talk them out of it," David directed.

"I won't," Regina said.

David looked at her sternly, "I mean it, Regina."

"I know," Regina said. "And I promise that I won't," she looked at him sincerely. "But I will ask each one of them if they are certain they want to do this." She shook her head to discourage his impending interjection, "David, I don't expect any of them to experience any lasting effects from this spell other than the one you all discussed yesterday, but all magic has its risks, and I want to make sure that all of them understand and accept those risks. Especially since those risks don't help Henry, Emma, or Snow—only me."

David's hold on her tightened, and he nodded against her hair. "They know something that you don't seem to understand." One of his arms squeezed her waist as the other rubbed across her back and along her neck through her hair. "Helping you does help Henry. And me." He kissed her temple. "And Astrid cares about you, as does Granny, and maybe even Grumpy. Ruby is conflicted, but she doesn't hate you, much as she might wish she did." He pulled away from her slightly to look into her face. "You may need to accept the fact that you're part of the team now."

Regina's face scrunched in distaste. She'd been working solo for a long time, and the idea of joining up with Snow White's goody-goody friends left an unpleasant taste in the back of her throat. But, when she thought about those goody-goody friends without their head goody-goody and as individuals, she realized she could get used to the idea. Granny was certainly no caricature of goodness, and even Astrid was so disarmingly genuine that her "goodness" was sincere kindness, and, though foreign to Regina, not something to which she could object.

David chuckled as he saw the thoughts and emotions flicker across her face, pleased that she allowed him to see them, rather than keeping them behind her formidable wall.

She smacked him playfully in response to his chuckle. "It's not funny!"

"It most certainly is!" David replied. "You're cooking for Little Red Riding Hood, her Granny, a fairy, and one of the seven dwarves—it's hilarious."

"Don't forget Snow White's grandson and Prince Charming," she replied with a devious smile, sliding up in his embrace and onto her toes, bringing her face closer to his.

"Couldn't forget that," David mumbled as he closed the gap between their lips. In addition to the driving arrangements, they had decided to allow themselves this last intimate physical contact before performing the spell. David savored the feel of her lips under his, kissing each in turn as well as the corners where they met. He relished the feel of the smooth plane of her neck and the angle of her jaw beneath his fingertips, and he had the familiar sensation that he would never be able to get enough of this woman.

Regina was melting like butter under his ministrations. She felt like she was soaring and falling at the same time. And from mere kisses. When she felt his stubble scratch along her throat in the best possible manner, she knew she had to stop them. Guests or no guests, if she let this go on much longer, she couldn't be trusted to stop, not when it took all of her better angels to do so.

And her better angels were in scarce supply.

Arching flush against him, she captured his mouth for one more brief, thorough kiss, and then slid out of his embrace, until they were standing two arms' lengths apart and grasping each other's hands.

David looked at her with his roguish grin that she knew meant the best kind of trouble and said, "I wasn't done with you."

Regina hummed in agreement and squeezed his hands. "I know, dear. I wasn't done with you either, but we need to keep it PG-13."

David nodded his head in acknowledgement and played with her fingertips. He brought them to his lips and kissed them. "I still think your rules are stupid."

Regina quirked an eyebrow in bemused questioning.

"Not this rule," David clarified. "As painful as it is to stop, you know I agree with that. Your other rule."

Regina sighed. "David, we went through all of this last night . . ."

"And I still disagree with you," David said.

"I know," Regina replied. Then she looked into his eyes and asked, "Please."

David sighed in resignation. "Okay," he said and placed a kiss to her forehead, still clasping her hands in his. He then commented lightly, "You know, you've come a long way, Regina. You almost didn't look like you'd swallowed poison when you said 'please' just then."

"Ha ha," Regina replied sarcastically, smacking him in the chest.

After a moment of silently enjoying each other's company—they both knew that such moments would be more difficult to come by with the return of Emma and Snow.

"We should get back in there," Regina said.

"We should," David agreed and squeezed her hands tighter.

Regina gave him a hug and a brief, fierce kiss, and stepped away, heading toward the kitchen. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to David, who was following close behind her. "I am sorry. For not telling you I thought I was going to die."

David looked at her, stunned. This woman probably couldn't remember the last time she'd apologized and meant it. "Apology accepted," he said with a grateful smile. "Just stop hurting yourself, allowing yourself to be hurt, or preparing for your own death without consulting me," he told her. "And don't use that analytical politician's mind of yours to violate the principle of my request without technically violating anything I just said."

Regina's left eyebrow had arched in amusement at the Prince's jumbled and clumsy, yet heartfelt, speech. "Is that all?" she asked, teasing him for his verbosity.

"For now," David snarked in reply. "Until I can think of more fine print you might try to exploit."

The corners of Regina's mouth turned upward against her will, even as her eyes flashed in mock-offense. "Do we need to write up a contract?"

"You tell me," David replied. "Can you refrain from endangering yourself without a piece of paper requiring you not to?"

Regina glared at him. "Fine," she snarled.

"Thank you," David said sincerely with a touch of exasperation. Only Regina could make something so simple so difficult.

Regina merely narrowed her eyes in annoyance at his display before allowing him to lead her back into the kitchen by the small of her back.

The occupants of the kitchen tactfully pretended not to notice how long the queen and the prince had been gone.

"Everyone ready?" Regina asked.

A round of yeses and nods communicated the assent from the group.

Regina smiled briefly, surveyed the mess that was the kitchen, and looked at her son with laughter in her eyes. "I know you're too old for this, Henry, but do you want to play Mary Poppins?"

Henry's brow furrowed in brief confusion until he realized what she meant. "Yes!" he exclaimed.

Regina smiled broadly. "I'll get the knives. Other than that you can pick and go first."

Henry was getting ready and then looked accusingly at his mother. "Mom, you have to sing the song!"

Regina scanned the faces of their audience with mild embarrassment before deciding that she didn't care. She wanted to play this game with her son. "You have to join in when it isn't your turn," she stipulated.

Henry groaned, but recognized the justice of her rule and nodded.

Grumpy's jaw dropped as Regina began speaking rhythmically, "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and SNAP, the job's a game."

On the obvious cue, Henry had snapped along with his mother and magicked the cut fruit into tupperware and into the refrigerator.

Henry, true to his word, began singing along with his mother, who magically cleaned the knives and forks and put them in their respective places. They continued taking turns cleaning the kitchen as they sang with Henry bursting into giggles when Granny joined in enthusiastically at "Spoonful of sugar." At this point, the others had recovered from the shock that the Evil Queen was singing a Disney showtune—and singing it well—and joined in along with Granny.

After they all belted out the last line, "In a most delightful waaaaaaaaaaaay," Astrid, David, and Henry broke into laughter, Granny smiled approvingly, and Grumpy and Ruby wore identical smiles of mild embarrassment. Regina gave her son a broad smile, even as she felt the effects of his minor use of magic, and enjoyed the result of her spotless kitchen. Besides, Henry needed a magical warm-up before pulling his relatives through dimensions.

David clapped Henry on the shoulder as Regina watched affectionately and said, "I think we need to take this show on the road!"

Regina smirked, "I don't know about that, but we do need to get this show moving."

"Ready, kiddo?" David asked.

"Almost!" Henry exclaimed, still enthusiastic from magically cleaning the kitchen. "I just have to grab my stuff," he said as he ran to take the stairs two at a time.

"Careful, Henry!" Regina called after him, shaking her head in worry. He was going to trip and break his neck if he wasn't careful.

"Good luck, everyone," David smiled at the group, and then turned into Regina's personal space. He cupped her cheek and spoke softly, "Don't redeem yourself too hard, okay?" At her small nod of understanding, he kissed her gently but firmly and then released her and went to make sure Henry didn't forget anything.

Regina resisted the urge to cross her arms into a protective posture. Granny, Red, Grumpy, and Astrid all knew that she and David were together without being together—hell, she had even talked about it with each of the women—but she was unused to allowing others to see her vulnerabilities.

She didn't like it.

"Are you available for hire to clean the diner?" Granny asked, breaking the tension.

Regina laughed. "Maybe. I am really good with stove cleaning. I've always had a knack for domestic spells. Used to drive my mother crazy," her voice trailed off. Suddenly recalling where she was, she refocused on the group and the mission at hand. "Any questions?"

"Yeah," Ruby replied. "Why are you teleporting us there?"

"For me, it's a magical stretch, if you will, like a warm-up," Regina answered. "Also, and perhaps more importantly, it's so each of you will know what my magic feels like. I don't expect anything to go wrong," she nodded at Astrid to recognize her accomplishment in planning their part of the enchantment, "but there are always risks with magic, and we will be doing some Big Magic today. I want you to know what my magic feels like in case I have to do some spell or intervention that we haven't planned on. I want you to know that my magic is part of your team, and you don't have to fight it."

"Wouldn't that be obvious?" Ruby asked skeptically.

"In retrospect, it would be," Regina replied. "But if something goes wrong, it is likely to happen very quickly, so I'd like to do what we can to prepare in advance."

Ruby shrugged in indifferent acceptance.

"Any others?" Regina asked. When none of them asked anything else, she continued, "Then it's my turn. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Astrid and Grumpy immediately nodded in unison, and Ruby replied with a firm yet unenthusiastic "Yeah."

Regina looked toward Granny who stood up, looked her in the eye, and handed her back her letters to Henry. Regina looked at the objects in her hands as traitorous tears sprung to her eyes. She blinked them away and looked at Granny, "Thank you." She turned to Grumpy, Ruby, and Astrid, "Thank all of you." She paused for a moment, allowing them to feel the sincerity of her words, and then handed the letters back to Granny. "Please keep them. There are plenty of people that still hate me, or I could die in a car accident."

"You are one twisted sister, sister," Grumpy commented as Granny re-accepted the letters.

Regina gave the dwarf a half-smirk, "You know it," she said with a wink.

"All right," Regina said. "Let's retrieve your friends."

* * *

**A/N: Reviews would be appreciated.**


	29. Operation Boomerang

They had driven halfway to the trail when Henry spoke. "Don't hurt her."

"What?" David asked.

"My mom. Don't hurt her," Henry stated forcefully. "And don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I may be ten, but I'm not stupid. You love her. And she loves you. And you're married to the person she hates most in the whole world. I don't have to be a grown-up to know that this is bad."

David pulled the car over and shifted it into park. With a deep breath, he confessed, "I do love your mother, Henry, but I don't know if she loves me."

"Are you kidding?" Henry asked. "She trusts you, and she doesn't trust anybody. And she acts just like people in love act. You both do. So don't hurt her."

"I'll do my best, Henry," David said. "But, like you said, it is a bad situation," David wasn't sure how much he should tell Henry about the state of his relationship with Regina and how it might change once Emma and Snow were back. He didn't want to upset him and endanger him for the spell casting. "I can't tell you what is going to happen, but I can promise you that I will do my best not to hurt your mom. And, if she lets me, I will love and cherish her until the end of my days." Regina would kill him for sharing this much with Henry, but the words had spilt out of their own accord. But it had felt good to say them aloud.

Henry gave David an evaluating look—one that he only could have learned from Regina—and then nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," David replied, as though sealing a deal. With an understanding reached, he resumed the drive to the well.

* * *

Regina waved as David and Henry pulled up. Since she decided to walk from the well to the parking area rather than teleporting again, she hadn't been waiting for them for long.

Henry hopped out of the truck as soon as David parked it and bounded over to his mother. He was a bit nervous, but he was mostly excited. His mom's practice tasks had been hard, and he knew she wouldn't let him do the spell if it would hurt him or anyone else. And he was going to get to see Emma and Mary Margaret again.

Regina smiled at her son's exuberance, even as she was glad that the walk to the well would burn some of it off. He would need to focus. "Don't forget your bag, dear," she said.

"Oh yeah!" Henry said and scampered back to the car to retrieve his backpack.

David approached Regina as Henry climbed back into the front seat to reach his stuff. "How's your energy level, Mary Poppins?"

Regina smirked. "Just fine, thank you," she replied nearly honestly. "Taking yesterday off helped, and that was pretty minor magic this morning."

"Good," David said, smiling at her. Just as he was about to tell her about his conversation with her son regarding his intentions, Henry returned with his bag.

"Did you double check it?" Regina asked.

"Yep," Henry replied, waiting for her to ask to see everything.

"Then let's go," Regina said.

"You're not going to check it to?" Henry asked. She always checked his work.

"I trust you, Henry. We made the list together, and you say everything is in there. I believe you," Regina had thought long and hard about her controlling tendencies, especially where Henry was concerned, and she thought this would be the perfect occasion to fight her micromanaging urges and bolster Henry's confidence at the same time. Ripping open dimensions and rethreading them required a lot of confidence.

Henry was astounded. "Let me check one more time," he said, kneeling to go through his backpack for the fourth time that morning.

Regina shared a smile with David over Henry's head. She would miss this once the Charming family was reunited—but now was not the time to think about that. There would be plenty of time to dwell on it, probably unhealthily, after Operation Boomerang was complete.

Henry latched his backpack and formally stated, "Ready to commence Phase Three of Operation Boomerang." He'd asked his mom for a more official word than 'start,' and she'd taught him 'commence.' He liked the sound of it.

Henry began walking into the woods. "How did teleporting go, Mom?"

Regina smirked slightly. "Pretty well, but Ruby turned a little green. Said something about running on all fours being her preferred method of speedy transportation."

David and Henry laughed, and the three of them made terrible werewolf jokes all the way to the well.

* * *

"Good, you're here," Astrid said, as she saw Regina, David, and Henry walk up the path. "We can get Ruby and Granny set up now."

Regina looked over at Astrid and Grumpy, her eyes appearing slightly unfocused. "You and Grumpy already made the leap," she stated.

Astrid nodded. "Grumpy wanted more time to get used to it, so as soon as he got his land legs back from teleporting, we did it."

"It's pretty," Regina said, still looking at something only she and Astrid could see.

"What are you looking at?" Henry asked.

"Astrid and Grumpy's magic," Regina replied.

"Why can't I see it?" Henry asked.

"Seeing magic is an odd phenomenon," Regina said, her brow furrowing as she considered how to best explain it. " 'Seeing' isn't even the right word for it. It's more like 'sensing,' but specific to magic. And you can't see it, because you haven't been using magic for very long. This is one of those magical abilities that develops in response to time rather than power."

Henry was clearly disappointed that he couldn't learn to see the magic quicker, but his curiosity buoyed his spirits. "What does it look like? And why can I see some of it sometimes?"

"You can see specific spells, like when Astrid made your linking talisman, but seeing a person's magic is different." Regina looked to Astrid as if to ask for permission, and, at Astrid's nod, answered, "Astrid's is like the soft glow around the stars, dark, dark blue with a sense of depth, wisdom, and safety."

Grumpy smiled at Regina's description. His beloved reminded him a great deal of Bashful at the moment, she was so pleased by the queen's description.

"And Grumpy's . . ." Regina's eyes unfocused again in the direction of the dwarf, before refocusing on Henry, "looks like the sparks off the pick-axes as they mine for diamonds, only an even brighter orange, like the color you expect to be under the layer of yellow on the sun. It's strong and passionate, yet steadfast."

"How can a color be 'steadfast'?" Henry asked, ignorant of the fact that his mother had just made the gruff dwarf blush from ear to ear.

"And that, my dear," Regina replied, "is why the word 'seeing' is inaccurate."

"What is my magic like?" Henry asked.

Regina smiled, almost wistfully. "Your magic is the most beautiful I have ever seen," she said. "It's like the gossamer threads of a unicorn's tail, bright, white, and silver, almost to the point that it's the motion rather than the actual object that is seen—a motion that reflects all the colors of the rainbow at once and yet none at the same time. Strong, agile, and unbreakable."

"At least you said strong," Henry said. "Because that was sounding pretty girly, Mom."

Regina smiled at her son and then turned to Ruby, who, she was pleased to observe, looked significantly less green. "Ready?"

"Yeah, sure," Ruby responded as Granny nodded.

While Ruby had agreed to help, Regina wasn't blind to the fact that the young woman still bristled when dealing with her. Pragmatically, she knew this procedure would be easier if Ruby was more relaxed. "Astrid, I'll take perimeter. Why don't you take the lead?"

Astrid walked over to Ruby and Granny as Regina stepped away and indicated a point for everyone else to stand behind—just in case.

Astrid appraised both women's demeanors and decided that Ruby was too agitated to be the initiator. "Hold Ruby's hands," Astrid instructed Granny.

"I know you went over this last night," Ruby interjected, "But this isn't going to do some weird magic thing that will make Granny and I fall into sicko incest love, will it?"

_Much too agitated_, Astrid thought. "No, Ruby. The magic won't create what isn't there. It will find the natural, familial true love that exists between the two of you and reveal the magic within it. Because, however, the magic in Storybrooke is built upon romantic true love, you two may have a more difficult time accessing your true love than Dreamy and I did."

Regina stood slightly in front of Grumpy, Henry, and David several yards away from Astrid, Ruby, and Granny.

"You may want to get comfortable," Regina told them. "Rumpel's magic isn't based on their bloodline, so this could take a while."

"Aren't you going to sit?" David asked her, as he and Henry took her advice and perched on a fallen log.

Regina shook her head. "I've got sentry duty," she said. "Staying on-call in case Astrid needs me."

Grumpy, who also remained standing, though slightly behind Regina as requested, gave an approving nod at the queen's response. This magic was a funny business, and, even though Astrid was literally born to do it, getting involved with it always made his stomach flip over, his throat dry up, and his spine twitch. He didn't like it. With Regina looking out for Astrid, though, well, he still didn't like all the hocus pocus, but at least he could swallow. Sort of.

"A little farther back, Grumpy," Regina requested. She didn't bother asking him to sit down. She wouldn't sit down if it were Henry. Or David.

* * *

An hour had passed, and the group's morale was low. Ruby's agitation had turned to frustration, and Granny wasn't as calm as her outward appearance indicated either. Grumpy was grim, Regina was stiff, and Astrid's usual cheerfulness was dulled around the edges. David had begun distracting Henry with stories from the Enchanted Forest half an hour earlier, for which they were all grateful.

"Let's take a break," Astrid announced with the battered energy of a first grade teacher the day before a school holiday.

"Finally," Ruby said, dropping Granny's hands in exasperation and walking toward the edge of the woods. She was sick of the pressure and the attention. Maybe she just wasn't magical. Maybe they shouldn't try to force it. Not everyone could be special, right?

"Mom," Henry said tentatively.

"Yes, Henry?" Regina replied, squatting down to meet Henry's eyes where he sat next to David.

"What if Ruby and Granny's magic doesn't work like ours?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked. As much as her son's obsession with 'Fairy Tale' topics had caused her grief over the past year, she had learned to value his opinion on such matters. He was right far more often than she would like.

"I mean, they are werewolves," Henry said. "And that's a kind of magic or something, right? What if it does something weird when it mixes with this kind of magic?"

"Of course," Regina said. "Great idea, Henry," she smiled at him and stood. "Astrid, Henry had an idea."

Relief washed over Astrid's features as she said, "Oh good," and stepped away from the others.

Regina met her near the well. "Henry thinks that the magic here might be interacting with whatever magic or curse makes them werewolves." Regina brought her hand to her forehead, trying to think through the possible implications. "It's so simple; I don't know why we didn't see it."

Astrid gave the tired queen a small smile. "We have had a few other things to think about."

"True," Regina replied with a smile of her own. "Do you have any experience with werewolves using magic?"

"No," Astrid shook her head.

"Me neither," Regina replied. After a beat of silence, she sighed. "Do you think this is something we should be experimenting with?" Regina refused to trust her own judgment; she knew that she couldn't possibly be objective. Ruby and Granny's participation greatly increased her own chances for survival . . . but hadn't David told her to be selfish? She doubted he meant at the cost of his other friends, though. She had been prepared to die, but ever since David had confronted her and told her that she wouldn't, her survival instinct had kicked into overdrive. She wasn't ready to go. Even if she couldn't have custody of Henry, she wanted to see him grow up and find his own happy ending—one that she could protect from afar, if not nearby.

Astrid nodded thoughtfully. "Contrary to folklore, werewolfism isn't a curse. True love's kiss does not break it, so it isn't a curse. It isn't even dark magic. Because it isn't dark, I think we can try a new approach, taking into account their werewolf magic." The fairy's usual brightness was reasserting itself.

"And if they still can't access magic here?" Regina asked.

Astrid refused to be deterred. "Have a little faith," she said simply.

Regina met David's eyes as she headed back toward the fallen log. Recognizing her unfathomable expression, David stood, and his legs began walking toward her.

Regina had turned and begun walking into the woods as soon as she'd caught David's gaze. She didn't need to see him to know he was following her. Once she was sure that they were out of the sight and earshot of the others, she turned to him. "This is me fulfilling my promise," she said shakily, focusing on the hand she'd placed on his chest over his heart. Forcing herself to look up into his face, she said, "I might die."

David's hand rose to clasp hers on his chest. "Don't."

Regina shook her head through watery eyes. His faith continued to astound her. Didn't he understand? The best case scenario never happened to her. "You told me not to keep this from you, so I'm not. Astrid and I didn't think about the impact of Granny and Red's werewolfism. We don't know if they can participate in the spell. And, even if they can participate, we don't know if our estimates of their power will be right."

"But they could be even more powerful than you thought," David countered.

Regina nodded in reluctant acknowledgement. "They could," she said. "But I just wanted to let you know."

David pulled her into a tight hug. "You're not going to die. I know it." He squeezed her tightly and then released her slightly to look down into her face. "Regina, you are the most stubborn, hard-headed woman I know. If anyone can cheat death, it's you. So, just refuse. Refuse to die." He clutched her tightly again and murmured fervently into her hair, "Be selfish."

"I will," Regina pledged. And she meant it. From her soul, she meant it. She would not leave Henry and David without a fight.

And she knew how to fight.

"We should get back," Regina spoke quietly. "Astrid will be waiting for me to resume guard-duty before she tries again with Granny and Ruby."

David nodded in understanding and resisted the impulse to kiss her. He knew that if he did, then he'd never let her go. Instead, he laced his fingers through hers and walked with her back to Grumpy and Henry.

Regina gave him a quizzical look with a hint of panic when David didn't release her hand when they came into Henry's view.

"He already knows," David stated.

"What?" Regina whisper-yelled at him.

"He's your son, Regina," David said with a smile. "He notices things."

Regina scowled at the teasing prince. "We are going to discuss this later."

David smirked at her. "Good," he replied. If she wanted to scold him for not contradicting Henry's observations, she'd have to be alive to do it.

David permitted the release of her hand when they reached Grumpy and Henry. Regina flexed her fingers and avoided her son's mischievous gaze, instead looking to Astrid and confirming her readiness for whenever the three women chose to begin.

Astrid smiled at Ruby, the calm certainty back in her gaze. "We're going to try this a different way," she said. "We're going to use your werewolf magic to make this easier."

"How?" Ruby asked skeptically. If her reaction to teleporting was any indication, maybe she shouldn't be messing around with this magic stuff. She was more inclined to the physical—the hard earth that she could feel beneath her paws, the night air that tickled her fur—magic though, magic didn't even have a scent most of the time.

"Dreamy told me that you can control yourself when you change into your wolf form," Astrid stated, a hint of a question within her tone.

Ruby nodded in confused confirmation.

"Good," Astrid smiled, relieved. "That means that you can access and control the magic that causes your change," she smiled at Ruby encouragingly, the young woman's reluctance not lost on her. "And that means that you're already a magic user."

Ruby looked at Astrid, stunned. She couldn't be a magic user. All of the magic users she knew of that weren't fairies—Regina, the Blind Witch, Rumpelstiltskin—they were all evil. Ruby didn't want to be evil.

She had eaten her boyfriend, though. And it didn't get much more evil than that.

Right now, though, she had to focus on getting her best friend and her best friend's kid home. Once Snow was back, she could deal with the details of good and evil.

She looked at Astrid, resolved. "What do I do?"

Astrid smiled. Ruby was still uncomfortable; that much was clear, but her determination boded well.

"Hold Granny's hands," Astrid instructed. "Then, close your eyes and find the wolf. Once you've done that, use your wolf to find Granny's."

"It's that simple?" Ruby asked.

Astrid nodded. "It's that simple."

"Easy," Ruby said, grabbing Granny's hands and closing her eyes.

Before anyone had a chance to register that Ruby was getting started, Astrid took several quick steps back and Regina shoved Grumpy behind her, as they both gaped at the swirling tornado of green and red that encompassed Ruby and Granny. It spun with such gale-like force that Regina couldn't believe that the trees weren't being uprooted, let alone that none of them were affected.

Then, just as suddenly, the tornado appeared to be sucked within Ruby and Granny, and everything was calm.

Regina smiled as she saw the sparkling, whirling magic around each of the were-women.

"Ruby's is red, isn't it?" Henry asked his mother.

Regina's smile broadened. "Actually, Ruby's is bright green, like sunlight through a summer forest canopy. It's Granny's that is red—a dark, bright crimson, really."

"But Ruby is Little Red Riding Hood," Henry protested.

"And where do you think she got her hood?" Granny asked with a knowing grin—she, Astrid, and Ruby having made their way over after the dissipation of the magical tornado.

"Cool!" Henry exclaimed. His book really _didn't_ have every good story in it. He was going to need to hear about Granny's adventures sometime.

"So," Ruby said, "Are we going to do this thing, or what?"

Regina couldn't help a smile as she noted the change in the waitress's posture. Ruby was practically sparkling with confidence and self-assurance. _As it should be_, she thought. "Absolutely," she answered out loud.

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to arrange themselves appropriately, but Regina and Henry stood apart from the others, who, by unspoken agreement, understood that the final Operation Boomerang pow-wow should be between mother and son.

"You ready, Henry?" Regina asked, bent at the waist to meet her son at eye-level.

Henry wore a determined expression to cover up his nerves. "Yep," he said.

Despite his valiant effort, his anxiety was clear to Regina. "You can do this, Henry," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you can."

Henry nodded slightly, but wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Henry," Regina ducked further to meet his eyes, "Do you remember what the most important thing for a sorcerer to have is?"

"Conviction," Henry answered promptly.

Regina smiled slightly. "Yes," she affirmed. "But what does that mean?"

"I have to know I can do it," Henry said. "It has to feel like a fact before it has actually happened. I have to be sure."

Regina nodded. "Now close your eyes," she smiled in approval as he followed her direction without hesitation. "And feel your magic. Feel it humming from the tips of your toes all the way to the ends of your fingers. Feel it pulsing through your heart and winding through your veins. Feel it jumping and ready to be used. Feel how _yours_ it is—yours to be wielded. And know that you can do this." Regina watched her son's expression carefully. His face was tense at first, clearly concentrating, but then relaxed right before his eyes snapped open.

"I can do this," he said with absolute certainty.

Regina smiled, "Yes, you can." She pulled him into a brief hug. "Let's do this, shall we?"

Henry smiled broadly at her, "Okay, Mom!"

She kissed his forehead and stood, "Just remember to put everything back where you found it, dimensionally speaking," she instructed. "Except for Emma and Snow, of course."

Henry groaned. "I know. You make it sound like I'm cleaning my room."

Regina cocked her head in thought, "It's not dissimilar," she replied with a twinkle in her eye.

"Mo-om," Henry groaned as Regina chuckled, put her arm around his shoulders, and led them back to the group.

* * *

"This is really all there is to it?" Grumpy asked, looking around at their simple configuration. He was standing in a close circle between Granny and David and across from Astrid, who was between Regina and Ruby. Henry was outside the circle facing the well with his back to them holding his book. "No globs of goop this time, sister?"

"This kind of magic requires less frills," Regina explained. "Restrictive magic tends to require goop, blood, and other props. This kind does not."

"Aren't we _restricting_ him to this plane of existence?" Grumpy asked.

"Not really," Regina said. "If he wanted to, he could still cross dimensions. We are helping him not to do that involuntarily. In that sense, we are not restricting his choice."

Grumpy turned to David, "You follow this?"

"I try," David replied and winked at Regina, who answered him with a smile.

"You ready, Henry?" Regina called from her place in the circle.

"Yep!" he called, determination filling his young voice.

"Remember to wait until our spell is in effect, and then start whenever you're ready," Regina said. "And you'll know when it's working."

"Okay, Mom," Henry replied, a little exasperated. He had been paying attention earlier when she went through everything with him. Wait for their spell, then focus, find Emma and Mary Margaret, bring them back—gently, without squishing them, like when he picked up David as a toad—and most importantly, close the dimensions as he brought them through, like the cakes. His mom emphasized this over and over. Don't let anything else through, and close the dimensions. Even if Emma was hurt and bleeding, he had to close the dimensions. David had promised to take care of Emma or Mary Margaret if they needed help, but Henry was the only one that could close the dimensions properly. Operation Boomerang depended on him. It was his job.

And he knew he could do it. Even though it would be hard to ignore Emma and Mary Margaret. And anything else cool that would be happening.

At Henry's answer and Regina's nod, Astrid double-checked everyone's placement in the circle. The true love pairs were arranged across from each other. Check. Regina and David, who were the two people expected to have the strongest true love for Henry, were also between the two people in the circle they would consider their strongest allies. Regina was between Granny and herself. David was between Ruby and Dreamy. Check.

"Grasp your partner's right hand in your own," Astrid instructed, grabbing Grumpy's hand across the circle in example. Once all three pairs were holding hands in the middle, Astrid continued, "Now place your left hand and arm along the back and shoulders of the person next to you."

Regina flinched slightly as she placed her left hand along Granny's shoulder. She'd removed the bandages from her cut for this, knowing that mobility and skin contact were more important than her stitches, at least during the spells.

Satisfied that the six of them were arranged appropriately—from a bird's eye view they looked like a wagon wheel with the true love pairs' arms as spokes—Astrid gave her final instructions, "Granny, Ruby, David, and Dreamy, focus on your true love for your partner and for Henry. Let your magic flow through you and into our circle. Regina and I will do the rest. Keep focusing until one of us tells you to stop. And, no matter what, keep your place in the circle. Keep holding your partner's hand, and keep your left arm around the shoulders of the person next to you."

David never would have thought that keeping his arm around Ruby's shoulders would be the most difficult part of performing this magical enchantment, but it was. Astrid's instructions to focus on his love for Regina and Henry were all too easy to follow. His eyes met Regina's across their linked hands, and his heart was full to bursting with his admiration and love for her. This woman who had survived despite loss, manipulation, isolation, and other inflictions she'd yet to share with him. This woman who had done terrible things in the name of her lost love but was brave enough to face them and try to be better. For her son. His grandson. Henry.

Henry who was determined to be a brave knight to bring home his mom and grandmother. Henry who persevered when everyone thought he was crazy, because he was determined to save his family, his town, people he'd never even met, from the curse of a blank existence. Henry who stood up to the mother he loved, despite calling her evil, for the mother he barely knew. So they could both fulfill their destinies. Their destinies to be heroes.

David was a lucky man. He had so much to love. And he felt it fill him and flow through him. And he felt the orange fire of Grumpy's true love flow through his shoulders and meld with his own, as it flowed into Ruby's bright green, until he didn't know whose true love magic he was feeling as it swirled around and through him.

But he knew he saw his love answered in Regina's eyes.

And when he thought his veins would burst with the joy of it all, he saw what almost looked like a geyser of white light blast from the center of the circle where the pairs' hands were joined. He held eye contact with Regina, focusing on his love through the translucent magic, even as his peripheral vision saw it encompass Henry like a stretched, marble-patterned bubble.

Henry felt something like a magical net surround him and saw a film-like substance drop between him and the well. Even though it wasn't purple, he could feel his mother's magic woven through it, and he knew it would keep him safe.

And he knew he was ready to bring home Emma and Mary Margaret.

With that knowledge, the film dissolved from his vision, along with the trees and the sky. The only objects he saw were the well several feet in front of him and his "Once Upon A Time" book in his hands. His mother had told him to pick an object that made him feel close to Emma and Mary Margaret, so he focused on his book. He focused on his book and how it had led him to Emma. He focused on his book and how it had reminded him over and over again how he couldn't be wrong, how he couldn't lose faith, how he had to make her believe. He focused on the book and felt how, when his grandmother gave it to him, it had been the first step toward completing his family.

And how, now, with help from his mom, his grandfather, and people who loved him, he would reunite them.

He focused, and he used the book like a magnifying glass through the dimensions, until he felt Emma and Mary Margaret reflect their love back at him.

He had found them.

Now he just had to pull them toward him, while remembering that he wanted to stay in Storybrooke. He did not want to go to them in the Enchanted Forest. He wanted them with him in Storybrooke.

That was it. He just had to close the dimensions behind them. Pull and close. Pull and close. Pull and close. Wow. There were a lot of dimensions. Pull and close.

What was that? Something had latched onto Emma's shoe when he started pulling her through. She didn't seem to want it there.

He almost had them home. Pull and Close. He slammed the last dimension closed, catching the stowaway in the dimensional doorway. He saw a pair of large, discolored arms and an oblong head roll away from Emma as she tumbled out of the well, closely followed by Mary Margaret. They were okay!

And he had defeated whatever it was that had tried to follow them!

He just hoped his method was okay. His mom hadn't mentioned anything about using the dimensions as weapons. He'd better check with her in case she needed to help him fix his work.

"Mom?" he turned around. She'd said he could turn around once he'd closed the last dimension. "Mom, I think you'd better check the last dimension I pulled them through. There was this thing, and I think I beheaded it using the last door I closed . . ."

As his euphoria from rescuing Emma and Mary Margaret wore off, Henry's more traditional senses took in the scene before him. He couldn't see his mom. She wasn't standing up with the others. And the others weren't really standing. They were all hunched and huddled around a small form on the ground.

"Mom!" Henry's tone was desperate as he ran toward the group. She had to be okay. She just had to. But even as he ran, he noticed that, for the first time since putting it on, his buffering talisman around his neck was cold.

* * *

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**A/N: I apologize for the cliffhanger, particularly since I've used it before, but this was the natural stopping place for this chapter. I'll try not to keep you waiting long; I'm aiming to update on Sunday or Monday. I hope you enjoyed the magic, and, as always, reviews are treasured.**


	30. Triage

Something was very wrong. One moment, he'd been looking into Regina's eyes, and they had been swirling with color. She had been keeping eye contact with him, almost communing with him, even as she'd simultaneously formed the magic of Henry's bubble with Astrid and absorbed the shocks of her son's young magic. Then, a wall seemed to slam down behind the irises of her eyes, and she dropped to the ground, the whole circle falling with her as he kept hold of her hand and Ruby's shoulders while Astrid and Granny both tried not to lose their contact with Regina as well.

Luckily, their scrambling only lasted a moment before Astrid said, "It's done. Henry did it."

The expected jubilation that should have accompanied her statement was muted, however, at the sight of Regina's crumpled form. Astrid and Granny, her neighbors in the circle, were already kneeling beside her to examine her and take her pulse.

David glanced at Henry, who appeared to be all right, and had just been intercepted by Ruby on the way to his fallen mom. He assumed she was saying something comforting, but, seeing that Henry was in good hands for the time being, he spared a glance for Emma and Snow and verified that they appeared uninjured. Satisfied that his other family members were not in mortal danger, he moved toward Regina, who was still sprawled in the dirt. Before he could get there, however, Snow was in his arms, grasping his face between her hands, "You found me," she breathed.

He knew it was time for his line, but he didn't care. Regina was so still. "We did," he replied curtly, trying to move past her.

Snow looked at him, confused and a bit hurt, but would not be pushed aside. "Charming?" she asked. From the looks of things, James and their war council had defeated Regina and brought her and Emma back to Storybrooke. So why wasn't he happy?

"I need to check on Regina," he told her. He couldn't see Regina's face. Henry had not allowed Ruby to deter him for long and had pulled her with him to his mother's side, and Granny and Astrid hadn't moved from their posts next to her.

He needed to see her for himself.

Snow felt her world shift. Something was fundamentally wrong. Was she in another sleeping curse? A new adaptation designed by Regina that showed you what your world would look like if it moved on without you? She and Emma hadn't even been gone three weeks, and now she was watching her husband, her grandson, and her staunchest allies worry about the health of her wicked step-mother?

She turned to Emma, who was looking at her with something uncomfortably close to pity, next to a somber Grumpy. "I must have fallen back asleep," Snow told Emma. "I must be in a very convincing Netherworld." It was the pity intensifying and transforming into concern that forced Snow to admit she wasn't asleep. She wasn't unconscious. Henry was really crying over Regina's body, and her husband was frantically kissing her. Wait. What? Her husband was _kissing_ Regina.

She threw up.

* * *

After his third attempt at administering true love's kiss, Granny pulled the prince into a more stable kneeling position.

Astrid placed her hand on David's other shoulder and said, "It's not going to work, David. She wasn't cursed."

"Wasn't cursed?" David looked at her in agitated disbelief. "Doesn't this look cursed to you?"

Astrid looked at David sympathetically, and said "It looks like unconsciousness brought on by magical exhaustion. A common side effect of using massive amounts of magic."

"Unconsciousness," David murmured, a spark of hope flaring in his chest. _She wasn't dead. And she'd promised to fight. She would come back to them._

"Mom's alive?" Henry asked urgently, brushing tears off his cheeks. She looked so still and frail. Even asleep, his mom always looked strong. And bigger than her actual size. But here, she looked tiny.

Granny nodded. "She has a pulse, but it's weak. We should get her to a hospital."

"You can't take her to Dr. Whale," Henry stated firmly.

"She's not exactly in a position to argue," Ruby said, squeezing Henry's shoulder to take the sting out of her words.

"We have to take her to the hospital, Henry," David said. "But we can make sure that a nurse does the IV, and Whale stays out of her room." He looked to Granny and Astrid. "Is it safe to move her?"

Granny gave a brisk nod, and Astrid answered, "Yes, but be gentle."

David knelt by Regina's ear, "Be selfish, Regina. Come back to me. Please," and then he lifted her and cradled her like a small child. "Let's go," he told the group. Granny and Ruby took the lead down the trail, followed by Grumpy and Astrid.

David looked at Emma, who had retrieved Henry's book and taken Ruby's place by his side. "I'm glad you're home. I was so worried about you."

Emma nodded. She knew he wasn't lying, but she also knew he was breaking her mother's heart even as they stood there. Awkward was the least of their problems. She looked down at Henry, who was smiling up at her, even as he snuck pensive looks at Regina's unconscious form.

"Let's go get your grandma, kid," she said, indicating that David should follow the others. "We'll catch up."

David nodded and then added, "Please don't be too long. We only have the truck."

Emma looked at her mother, who was sitting at the base of a tree, head in her hands. "How about you take Henry in the truck, and Mary Margaret and I will start walking back. We're used to it. You can even send Ruby back with a car or something."

David looked at Snow, then Regina, and then Emma and nodded. "C'mon, kiddo," he said to Henry.

Henry nodded and hugged Emma around the waist. "Welcome back. I have so much to catch you up on. I can do magic, and my mom's good now!" He smiled, but still with a crease of worry along his forehead. "See you at the hospital," he said and started down the trail.

Emma looked back to David. She could see that she had a lot of catching up to do. "You love her?" she indicated Regina.

"I do," David replied.

"And it's real?" Emma asked. She wanted to know what they were dealing with here. "You're not under an evil curse or anything?"

"It's real," David confirmed. "I'm sorry that you, and especially Snow, had to find out this way, but I thought she was dead. I panicked."

"Yeah," Emma said. They would talk about this later. Sometime when her mom wasn't freaking out at the base of a tree and her dad wasn't cradling her son's crazy, homicidal, adoptive mother who also happened to be Emma's step-grandmother. She could feel the migraine building behind her eyeballs. "Just go. I'll get Mary Margaret back to the loft and see you later."

David nodded, giving one more regretful look at his wife, before striding down the path. Hopefully he'd given the rest of the group enough of a head start that they'd nearly be at the truck by the time he caught up to them.

Emma looked at Snow and sighed. They'd battled ogres, and she'd eaten chimera. Why did she feel like the hard part was just beginning?

* * *

"Henry," David said urgently as they hurried to catch up with the others. "I don't have time to explain now, but don't use any more magic."

Henry looked at his grandfather confused.

"I know you're going to want to show Emma and Snow what you can do, but don't," David instructed. "Henry, this is important. Don't do any magic until your mom wakes up and you can talk to her about it."

Henry's eyes were wide with fear, but he nodded his understanding. David wouldn't ask him if it wasn't important. And he didn't care about magic. Not if it couldn't make his mom better.

* * *

Emma approached her mother cautiously, not for the first time missing Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret she knew how to help. Snow, her mother, well, she was still unfamiliar—as bad-ass as she was in the Enchanted Forest. Gingerly, she sat down next to her, and she was contemplating attempting some kind of comforting gesture when Snow suddenly lifted her head from her knees, wiped her tears away, and stood.

"We have to get going," Snow declared to her daughter, a sense of mission clear in her stance.

"Yes, we do," Emma agreed, confused at her mother's sudden resolve, but inelegantly standing despite her lack of comprehension.

"Let's go," Snow said, heading down a path Emma hadn't yet noticed.

"Umm," Emma's responses were having trouble keeping up with the sudden shift in circumstances and her mother's sudden shift in mood. "Go where?" she asked as she stumbled after her roommate-turned-parent.

"To rescue Charming, of course," Snow replied.

* * *

To the admission nurse's credit, she only hesitated briefly when confronted with the identity of the new patient. Though, it wasn't really Regina's identity that gave her confusion—it didn't take long after the curse broke for a betting pool to emerge amongst the hospital staff. One of the second floor orderlies managed the enterprise, and staff members could place two bets: how long it would take for Regina to end up in the hospital, and whether she would come through the front doors of the ER or the basement entrance to the morgue.

Janet sighed. Apparently that jerk from imaging won. She wished it had been anyone but him. Oh well. She just wished they'd thought to create a pool about whether anyone would actually come in with The Evil Queen. She doubted the orderly would have been able to cover the odds on her entering the emergency room in the arms of Prince Charming and surrounded by Granny, Ruby, Grumpy, and that nice, clumsy, former nun. And, sadly, the concern and fear on young Henry's face might have been the longest bet of all. Janet wished she'd thought to place money on that.

But she never would have.

The situation in front of her was impossible.

And yet happening.

So Janet got to work. Fazed was not a look she wore for long. She handed a clipboard of forms to Ruby. "Fill these out." Then she hollered over her shoulder, "Gurney!"

* * *

"You want to rescue David?" Emma asked, trying to keep up as her mother strode purposefully through the underbrush.

"Yes," Snow replied absently, her mind already orchestrating the coming battle.

"From what?" Emma asked.

"From Regina, obviously," Snow huffed. She and Charming had true love. That didn't just go away. If he had just let her kiss him, then she could have broken Regina's curse, and they could get back to their happily ever after. She had just gotten her daughter back; she was not about to lose her husband.

"Maybe we should go to the loft first," Emma suggested. Mary Margaret was entitled to her denial—wasn't that one of the stages of grieving?—but that denial should be completed somewhere away from the prying eyes of others and preferably a somewhere that had indoor plumbing and electricity. After traipsing through the Not-So-Enchanting Forest, Emma was ready for a shower. And normal food. From a microwave.

"We're going to the hospital," Snow stated. "I have to find him," she whispered fervently to herself.

* * *

David was not happy. The moment they set foot in the hospital, Regina had been pulled from his arms and strapped onto a gurney. At least when he was touching her, he could feel, in his bones, that she was still alive. Now, separated from her by plexiglass, she looked still, small, and pale as the hospital staff buzzed around her with mystifyingly little result. The presence of Henry's scared form next to him was the only thing keeping him from bursting into the room and screaming at everyone to _help her faster_.

As David grasped his head between his hands, aggravatedly trying to stay out of the doctors' way, his aggravation was paused by surprise.

"Thank you," he watched Granny announce to the room of medical staff on the other side of the plexiglass. "We'll take it from here." Her tone did not permit any argument or dissension as she indicated herself and Astrid.

Astrid smiled reassuringly but with an expression that echoed Granny's authority, and the hospital workers did not need any further encouragement to leave the room. Most of them preferred the Evil Queen dead anyway.

After the last nurse filed out, David and Henry rushed into the room, followed by Grumpy and Ruby.

"Why did you make them leave?" Henry demanded. "Doesn't my mom need help?"

"They've given her all the help they can, Henry," Astrid told him gently. "They have her hooked up to monitors, so we can see how she's doing, and they gave her an IV, so she'll stay hydrated."

"But how is she going to wake up?" Henry asked. "If the doctors don't work on her, how is she going to get better?"

"The doctors can't help her, Henry," Astrid said apologetically. "Your mom's affliction is magical, not medical. So the cure is going to have to be magical as well."

Henry's resolve was frantic. "Then don't just stand there. _Do something_."

"I'm not sure what to do, Henry," Astrid said. "And I don't want to risk making it worse. Your mom will most likely wake up on her own, once her magical reserves replenish themselves."

"When?" David's quiet voice carried from his place by Regina's side, her small hand encased in his.

"I don't know," Astrid admitted.

"Not good enough," David said. "We have to do something. I have to do something."

"I think you're already doing it," Ruby said.

"What?" David looked at her in confusion.

"Did you see that?" Ruby asked Granny.

"I did," Granny nodded.

"What?" David asked again, aggravated. Regina was sick; he didn't have time to play guessing games.

"Let go of her hand," Ruby said.

David complied, still confused.

"Now look at her monitors," Ruby instructed.

Regina's read-outs, which had been stable moments before, were now showing signs of distress. David instinctively grabbed her hand again, and Regina relaxed, the signs of distress disappearing.

"That settles that," Granny said. "I'll talk to the nurse," she said, leaving the room.

"What?" Henry asked.

"I'm not leaving until your mom wakes up," David told his grandson.

"Good," Henry said. "Me neither."

While Henry's devotion to Regina warmed David's heart, he knew she would kill him if he let her son move into the hospital.

"Actually, Henry," David said, "Why don't you go with Astrid and Grumpy to the house and pick up some things your mom might need or want, like her hairbrush and pajamas?"

Henry didn't want to leave, but he was the only person who knew which pair of pajamas his mom liked to wear when she was sick. "Okay," he said. "But then I'm not leaving again."

"Thanks, Henry," David said. He could figure out how to convince Henry to leave again later. He just wished Regina was awake to see how much her son loved her.

Astrid smiled encouragingly at David as she walked out with Grumpy and Henry.

Ruby was about to speak when Granny re-entered with a couple of orderlies carrying chairs and cots. "Thank you," she said, dismissing them once the new furniture had been arranged.

"Thanks, Granny," David smiled at the older woman. He felt fortunate to have such wonderful friends.

Granny just nodded in acknowledgement. "Are you set? Because we should get back to the diner."

"Of course," David replied. "Go ahead. I'll be fine here."

Granny gave another quick nod to the prince and then patted the queen on the leg. "Don't keep your boys waiting too long, Your Majesty," she told the unconscious woman.

"Ruby?" Granny called for her granddaughter, who wasn't following her.

"I'll be in later, Granny," Ruby said. "I have to do something first."

With one last nod, Granny left Ruby and David alone with Regina's still form.

Ignoring the chair Granny had retrieved for him, David climbed onto Regina's hospital bed and curled himself around her, careful not to jostle the IV or other equipment.

Ruby, uncomfortable with the obvious display of affection, shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. "I'm going to wait for Snow and Emma at the loft," she announced.

"You can take the truck and pick them up," David said, indicating his jacket containing the keys.

"They won't be walking along the road," Ruby said. "Snow will cut through the forest to get back quicker."

David nodded. There was no one better to track Snow than Ruby. The two had spent years on the run in the Enchanted Forest together.

"Please, Ruby, tell her I'm sorry," David said sincerely.

Ruby looked at the prince slightly disgusted. How much had Snow been through with Charming, and he couldn't deliver that message himself?

"I'd tell her in person, but I can't leave," David pleaded with Ruby to understand. "I just can't."

"Yeah," Ruby said, unimpressed, before she turned and went to find Snow.

David sighed and pulled Regina closer. "Thank you for not dying," her murmured into her hair. "But, if it isn't too much trouble, I'd appreciate it if you would wake up now." He kissed her temple and examined her face for the change he knew wouldn't be there. "Please come back to me," he whispered.

* * *

"Please, Mary Margaret," Emma stumbled after her mother, who was gracefully walking along the narrow path at what felt to Emma like the speed of light. "Mary Margaret, Snow," she bent over, breathing hard.

The use of her fairy tale name got Snow's attention, and she stopped in her tracks. It hadn't escaped her that, not only was Emma not calling her "Mom," but, most of the time, she didn't even use her real name. She used the name Regina cursed her with. But, she was trying not to push too hard. She knew the situation was hard on Emma; it was hard on them all. And Charming had warned her not to attack the problem as directly as she preferred. Though his phrase may have been "like a bull in a china shop." She smiled. _Charming_. And then she remembered. _Regina_. Her expression furrowed into a frown.

"I know you want to find David," Emma said, "But don't you think we should, I don't know, regroup or something?" She pulled herself gracelessly from her bent position into something resembling a proper standing posture.

"There's no time," Snow replied. "Regina has already worked some horrible magic, and we need to get to him and undo it before he's drawn in even deeper. Time is of the essence."

"Mary Margaret," Emma's voice was pitched uncomfortably close to a whine. "Why don't we go to the loft, get some food, and then get some information? You know, find out what we're dealing with. Running in blind might make it worse. Let's get a plan."

"I have a plan," Snow countered.

"Oh?" Emma asked, surprised.

"Go to the hospital, find David, and break his curse with true love's kiss," Snow informed her daughter. Really, everything would go a lot quicker if Emma would just get on board with the whole magic thing. They were wasting time.

"And if that doesn't work?" Emma kicked herself as soon as she heard her own words. They wouldn't help the situation. Just more evidence that she needed proper food—something from a package that didn't resemble anything found in nature and preferably coated in a fake cheese substance.

"Then I do something I should have done long ago," Snow replied. "I kill Regina."

* * *

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**A/N: I am so sorry for the wait y'all. I thought I knew exactly what I was going to do with this chapter, but then the characters had a couple other ideas, so it took much longer to write than I anticipated. The next chapter is already in progress, but it will probably be a week before it gets posted due to some travel. I'll try to update quicker, but I don't want to overpromise (again). I hope you enjoyed the return of Snow and Emma, and, as always, your feedback is helpful and appreciated!**


	31. Visiting hours

**Disclaimer: As always, if you recognize it, it isn't mine. In particular, I stole a line of dialogue from one of my favorite authors (full disclaimer is at the end of the chapter).**

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* * *

As she waiting outside of Snow and Emma's apartment, Ruby was remembering why she'd lashed out so thoroughly in the alleyway the previous night. This conversation was going to suck. Royally. Pun very much intended.

She'd sprinted to the loft from the hospital, and, while running off some anxiety had felt awesome at the time, she was realizing that she hadn't fully thought through the consequences of crossing town at full wolf speed. It was giving her a lot of unwanted time to anticipate the upcoming conversation.

Ruby paced.

What was she going to say? 'Welcome back, Snow! Your husband is with that skank that hunted us for years, killed people we loved, and cursed everyone in town with multiple personality disorder. But don't worry, he swears they haven't slept together. Yet. Because they're definitely going to. And if their make-out session in the diner was any indication—oh yeah, they made out in front of the whole town—then it's going to be really hot when they do. We probably won't see them for days. You should tell Emma to ask for custody of Henry then; I bet Regina won't even put up a fight. Hell, I wouldn't.'

Ruby stopped pacing and smacked herself in the forehead. _Not helpful, Ruby. That's probably exactly what you shouldn't say. And thinking about how hot Regina and David's sex life is going to be is just creepy. Even if it's creepy in a hot way. Focus, Ruby._

_Great, now she was yelling at herself in her head._

She resumed pacing. Sprinting had definitely been a bad idea.

* * *

This was bad. Very bad. Emma had only had parents for three weeks, which was hardly enough time to adjust to the idea. And she wasn't sure if the fact that, biologically, she was only a year younger than her mother and three years younger than her father made the situation harder or easier. And then there was the Fairy Tale thing. How was she supposed to relate to her parents when they grew up in a place that sounded like Medieval Europe when she grew up stealing electronics that they only knew how to operate because of a curse?

How was any of this supposed to prepare her to prevent her mother from committing murder?

As she looked at the hospital in front of them, she realized that she was running out of time to figure it out.

* * *

Henry plopped his over-stuffed backpack into the nearest chair in Regina's hospital room and went straight to his mother's side. "How is she?" he asked David, who was still perched protectively around her.

David glanced at Astrid and Grumpy, who had entered behind Henry, and then looked at his grandson. "No change yet, kiddo," he said. "But it's only been a couple hours. And your mom is tough. She'll wake up in no time."

"Yeah," Henry nodded. It did make sense. Astrid had said that his mom was exhausted; he shouldn't expect that to be fixed in two hours. But he didn't like it.

Abruptly, Henry returned to Grumpy's side by the doorway, motioning for him to set down a similarly over-stuffed duffle bag. As soon as the bag hit the floor, Henry unzipped and struggled to pull something bulky from it. "Here," he said, returning to David's side and handing him a king sized pillow in a silk pillowcase the same shade of blue as David's eyes. "It's her favorite," Henry explained.

"Thank you, Henry," David said, taking the pillow and gently replacing it with the hospital pillow underneath Regina's head. He gave his grandson a grateful smile. This gesture would mean the world to Regina.

"We also brought some clothes for all three of you, and some snacks," Astrid offered quietly.

"Thanks," David smiled at his new friends. He'd always liked Grumpy, but he had never really gotten to know him in the Enchanted Forest. He and the dwarves were always more like Snow's personal guard than his friends. And he'd only ever seen Astrid around Storybrooke after he'd woken from his coma. But in the past week, this couple had become two of his favorite people.

"Call us if you need us," Grumpy said gruffly.

"Will do," David replied with a nod.

* * *

Life was not fair. She first truly understood this when she was seven and finally had the language to articulate the idea, but, in this moment, she felt how much it applied to her mother. She didn't know what Regina and Mary Margaret's history was, and she didn't care. Mary Margaret was a good person. She didn't deserve to have her husband desert her for anyone, especially the woman that was the source of so much misery. Hell, the woman who had tried to kill her and killed her son in the process. Regina was fortunate that resurrection was possible. Otherwise Emma would have killed her herself. End of story.

Why did she want to prevent Regina's death again?

Right. Because she was the Savior. And she saved people. And Henry asked her to protect his mother.

_Damn it._

For better and worse, Emma saw them before Snow did. She gulped, trying to force her lungs to breathe and her gut to release the clenched fist it formed.

They looked so perfect. Like a family.

Her son was reading comic books aloud to his real mother—the mother that had chosen him, the mother that had been able to take care of him, the mother that Emma knew had always loved him, even when she didn't know how—and her father was smiling warmly at them both.

There were empty chairs beside Regina's bed, but there was not any room for Emma.

She felt a slow, strong squeeze through her throat and inside her chest.

But Emma was no amateur when it came to this feeling. So she did what she did best. She shoved it back down into the pit of her stomach to be dealt with later—or, preferably, never.

And then she grabbed her mother's arm and spun Snow around to face her, obstructing their view of David, Regina, and Henry. Without letting go, she said, "Promise me you won't kill her."

"She's nothing more than an evil witch," Snow replied calmly.

"She's Henry's mother," Emma said.

"And so are you," Snow replied. "And do you really think that he is better off with her than with you? With us?"

"I don't know," Emma replied.

Snow, sensing her daughter's wavering, seized the opportunity and began to spin out of Emma's grip, before she felt the fingers clench harder around her bicep.

"Promise me," Emma insisted, the force back in her voice.

Snow looked at Emma sadly. Moments like these forcefully reminded her that her daughter was a citizen of this cursed world and not of her rightful kingdom. She simply did not understand the torment Regina had caused their family and so many others. And it was a ruler's responsibility to protect her people. And it was a mother's right to protect her family. "I can't promise you that."

"Fine," Emma said. "Promise me you won't kill her today."

"What?" Snow replied, startled by the ridiculousness of the request. If Regina needed to be executed, why should she wait?

"You heard me," Emma replied. "Promise me you won't kill her today."

"Emma," Snow chided. "This is ridiculous. Let go of my arm."

"Not until you promise me," Emma replied. She'd promised Henry that she wouldn't let anyone kill Regina, and she was not going to let him down. Not this time. Besides, Regina may never have meant to help Emma, but she had been there when Emma needed her the most. She had taken Henry in when Emma couldn't, and—poisoned turnover or not—that was not a debt Emma would forget any time soon.

Emma adjusted her stance as she recognized the look on Mary Margaret's face. She'd seen it on many a bail-jumper during her storied career as a bounty-hunter. Mary Margaret was sizing her up, trying to decide if she could take her. And maybe she could. Maybe Emma was a fool for taking on Snow White, Warrior Queen, in her full-on battle mode, but this was important. She couldn't let Henry down.

"Maybe you could, maybe you couldn't," Emma responded to her mother's obvious line of thought. "But I don't think you want a scene in the hospital. And," Emma felt like a dirtbag for playing her next card, "I'd like to believe that you care about me more than you care about killing Regina."

"Emma," Snow replied, not quite apologetically. "Of course I do. But you have no idea of what Regina is capable. And if killing her is the only way to break her curse over Charming, I have to do it."

"Fine," Emma said. "If you have to kill Regina to break a curse on David, fine. We'll do it together. _Tomorrow_."

Snow gave her daughter another appraising look, tinged with respect. "Fine."

"Promise me," Emma said.

"I promise not to kill Regina today," Snow said with an eye roll reminiscent of Mary Margaret.

"Thank you," Emma said, releasing her mother's arm and walking with her toward Regina's room. There was no way that whatever was about to happen was going to end well or in any way be good. It was like watching two trains heading toward each other at top speed, about to collide, and not being able to do anything about it.

At least in this case Emma had ensured there wouldn't be any bloodshed.

She hoped.

* * *

Ruby suddenly stopped pacing. "Stupid!" she yelled at herself.

Snow had seen David kiss Regina. Repeatedly. There was no realm in which her best friend would stop and rest before getting to David and "rescuing" him from Regina's clutches.

"I have to get to the hospital," she mumbled to herself before taking off at wolf-speed.

* * *

Snow stayed focused. She didn't let herself get distracted by the fact that Regina was unconscious in the same room, the same bed, in which David had been unconscious. She didn't dwell on the fact that the same vase was on the end table next to Regina and contained beautiful purple wildflowers. And she certainly didn't pay any attention to the memories of her sitting where Henry was, reading their story to her comatose true love.

While she stood in the doorway, watching David look at her from beside Regina, she did not allow any extraneous thoughts to intrude. She was on a mission. From what felt like far away, she heard Emma's voice.

"Come on, kid," Emma said. "What do you say we find out if this hospital's cafeteria has cinnamon for us to put on some hot chocolate?"

Henry must have decided to go with Emma, because Snow felt a small form push past her out the door. She heard the glass door shut behind her—the bustle of the hospital dampened—as if the world was muted.

It was just her, David, and a still Regina.

It was time to break the curse.

Snow strode toward Charming, placed her hands on either side of his face, and pressed her lips to his.

* * *

"Well, Granny doesn't have to worry about competition from this place," Emma said after sipping the watered-down hot chocolate. The plastic chairs in the cafeteria didn't exactly add to the ambiance either.

"Yeah, even yours is better than this," Henry said.

"Hey!" Emma protested. "I make great hot chocolate!"

"When you don't burn the milk," Henry replied with a small smile. "I didn't even know milk _could_ burn until you made me hot chocolate."

"Yeah, I didn't know that either," Emma mumbled to herself. Then, to Henry, "But I don't burn it anymore! My hot chocolate is good," she stated petulantly.

"Yeah, it is," Henry said with a smile. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too, kid," Emma said. "Me too."

* * *

"Ouch!" Snow exclaimed, closing her eyes and pressing her hand to her burning mouth. When she opened her eyes, she saw David prone on the bed, flinching as though recovering from sudden pain. "What the hell, Charming?" She did not know of any love curses with this effect. It almost seemed like a fidelity charm, but that should only affect David if he kissed someone other than her. What magic had Regina conjured this time?

David grunted and pulled himself off the bed and into the nearby chair, keeping Regina's small hand within his grasp. "You may want to take a seat, Snow," he indicated the chair beside him. "This may take a while. I'd stand, but I'm not feeling very well at the moment."

"Yeah, well, neither am I," Snow replied angrily, plopping down in the chair beside him. She'd spent three weeks wandering through the Enchanted Forest, and Charming thought he didn't feel well? She'd put an arrow through Regina's heart right now and end this whole charade, except that she'd promised Emma she wouldn't. Not today, at least. "And shouldn't we have this conversation somewhere more private?" She looked meaningfully at Regina and the glass walls separating them from the bustle of the hospital workers. If Charming was going to declare his cursed, undying love for Regina, she'd prefer as few witnesses as possible. Though she supposed they had already seen him curled next to her before she entered the room. Still. This was a private family matter.

"I can't leave her," David said, an apologetic look on his face.

"You can't leave her for five minutes to come and explain all of this to me?" Snow snapped, the sight of her husband devotedly holding her traitorous, unconscious step-mother's hand making the pendulum in her heart oscillate between hurt and anger faster and faster by the second.

"I can't," David said, holding up an arm in a gesture of 'please listen.' "I'm sorry, Snow. This is not how I wanted you to find out, and this is not how I wanted us to have this conversation, but I don't have much of a choice."

Snow scoffed. "How could you not have a choice?" she asked skeptically. Then, with sudden comprehension and urgency, she leapt up. "Did she place you under some kind of proximity spell? Those aren't technically curses, so that's why the kiss didn't break it. I'll go get Gold," she declared, heading for the door.

"Snow, wait," David said, suddenly standing, but still not releasing Regina's hand.

Snow turned slowly to face her husband, her heart sinking in her chest as she really looked at David for the first time since returning to Storybrooke.

"Charming, what's going on?" Snow asked carefully. She recognized her husband's bearing. He was gathering his courage. If she didn't know better, she'd think he wasn't cursed. "Why can't you leave her?" she prompted, attempting neutrality in her voice.

"It's a long story, but her heart rate is better when I hold her than when I don't," David attempted a clinical explanation, knowing that there was not any way to avoid inflicting pain on his wife. But she didn't look that pained. She looked determined.

Snow strode toward him and grasped his available hand between her own. "Charming, we can break this curse, this enchantment, whatever it is," she said emphatically. "I know it. Together, we can break any curse—"

"Snow," David said firmly. "I am not cursed."

"Fine, enchanted, bewitched—I don't know all of the terminology, since I am not a witch," Snow said spitefully. "What other explanation is there?" she asked, pleadingly. "You kissed Regina—repeatedly. It's painful when we kiss; this must be the work of dark magic."

"I'm so sorry, Snow," David said. "It's not because of magic." Tears welled in his eyes. He never wanted to hurt her. And if his altered feelings were not hurtful enough, if she insisted that he explain them . . . he didn't want to be cruel. But he owed her the truth. That much, he could give her. "I fell in love with her."

Maybe it was the pain in her husband's expression that was authentic Charming, or maybe she'd never truly believed he was cursed. Either way, Snow's traitorous heart believed him. And it felt like it was shattering.

"How did this happen?" she asked in a small voice, pulling her hands away from his and into her sides.

"While you were gone," David sighed. He had known that this would be painful, but now that the moment was upon him, his heart felt compressed, tightly squeezed in his chest. "While you were gone, Regina volunteered to help me get you and Emma back—I had broken the hat in an attempt to follow you through, so I couldn't just go after you."

"And what was wrong with asking Blue?" Snow snapped. She was hurt, and she was angry. Regina took everything from her. She'd just gotten her daughter back from Regina's curse, and now Regina had taken her husband. "But I suppose she's not your type, so what fun would that be?"

David ran his hand across his face. She wasn't being fair. But nothing about this situation was fair. "Snow, Blue deceived us. You could have gone through the wardrobe with Emma. The wardrobe held two. But she lied to us. Pinocchio, August, went through instead of one of us."

Snow felt as though she'd been sucker-punched in the gut. Did she not have any true friends left? Had she ever had any? Were all of her relationships lies?

"I'm sorry, Snow," David said. "But it's true. I spoke with August and confronted Blue."

Snow couldn't process everything fast enough. She could have raised Emma? Emma didn't have to spend twenty-eight years alone? Her little girl didn't have to be the hurt, isolated, beautiful woman that she was? "So you worked with Regina?" she asked. Best to have David continue his narrative. If she dwelt on the what-if's of the wardrobe, she would spiral into insanity. And she already felt the spinning.

David nodded. "She voluntarily allowed me to have custody of Henry and made the compelling case that she wanted to redeem herself for him." He looked down at the unconscious woman beside him. "I'm convinced that she could barely stand to speak to me at the time. Pretty sure she thought I didn't have much going on upstairs either," he smiled in remembrance of their first meeting in the diner. Then, recollecting that his audience was Snow, he checked his reaction. The purpose of this conversation was not to tell his wife the story of how he fell in love with another woman. Though, it partially was. But he didn't need to be callous about it.

"So we saw more of each other," David continued. "And Regina came to believe that I would have to do magic to bring you home."

"You did magic?" Snow interrupted, aghast.

"No, well, yes, but not much," David sighed. He was explaining this badly. "The point is that Regina helped me to find my magic."

"You have magic?" Snow asked. She did not like the sound of this. Nothing good came from magic. Well, except that she was back in Storybrooke, but, it remained to be seen if that was actually a good thing.

"Yes, and I bet you do too," David replied. "Anyway, when we found my magic, we found something else." He once again looked at Regina's still form. "We found that, when we touch, this kind of magical current flows between us."

Snow's eyebrows shot into her forehead. She did not like the sound of this. Her husband was magically-electrically connected to her step-mother? She felt her gag reflex start to act up.

"It's nothing bad," David tried to convince her. "But her vitals do better and she rests easier when we're . . . connected." Snow looked like she was going to be ill. "I'm sorry, Snow, but I have to help her."

The most unpleasant clarity descended over Snow's thoughts, like an ice bath after a warm rain. "And there is nowhere else you'd rather be," she stated with sick certainty. She knew, because he used to feel that way about her.

"I fell in love with her, Snow," David said. "I don't know how, and I don't know when, exactly, but I did. She thinks you and I should give it another try; she seems to believe that she's not good enough for me, and that you and I can fall back in love just like we did before . . . but I think we both know that's not true."

"Her not being good enough for you?" Snow said incredulously. "That is definitely true. Or, at least, was, before you went and _fell in love with her_!" David's flinch at her words was not as satisfying as she'd hoped. Exasperated, hurt, and bewildered, she asked, "How could you let this happen? Why didn't you just stay away from her?"

David sighed, "I didn't know it was happening. I was in the middle before I knew I had begun. And then I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that I could betray you in such a way." David shook his head. He still couldn't understand how his heart had strayed without his permission.

"Did you?" Snow asked, taking a deep breath. "Did you betray me?"

Understanding the real question, David had never been so grateful for the painful restraint he and Regina had shown. "No, not like that," David said. "We did kiss each other, but it never went further than that. I am sorry to say that one of our more fervent kisses did take place in the middle of the diner, so you may hear about that. In Regina's defense, she thought she was going to die at the time." He looked down at her again, "Hopefully she'll be wrong about that," he said softly, more to Regina than to Snow.

Snow's feelings were a jumble. Her sense of relief that they hadn't slept together was at once overwhelming and short-lived. Part of her had hoped that Regina had deliberately seduced Charming to hurt her. If that had been the case, then David's heart might have still belonged to her, especially once Regina's deception was revealed. But, if what David was saying was true—and it felt painful enough to be true—then that changed things. The Regina she knew, the Evil Queen of her adulthood, would take anything and anyone that belonged to her just to prove that she could. Even if she didn't care about David, especially if she didn't care about David, she would have slept with him just to hurt her.

"But how could you, David?" Snow asked, abashed. "This woman tried to kill us. Over and over. She destroyed lives."

"She did destroy lives," David acknowledged. He didn't, however, believe Regina had really tried to kill them; they would have been dead many times over had that been the case. His beloved was nothing if not competent. But that was a fight for another day. "But she's not that woman anymore," he said.

Snow just shook her head in shock and pity, like she couldn't believe David had been taken in by Regina's machinations.

"You haven't been here," David told her. "You haven't seen her. She's changing."

"Right," Snow snapped, hurt. "I'm sure she's transformed into the innocent young woman that saved me from a runaway horse."

David didn't rise to her bait, merely shaking his head sadly. "I think that woman died with Daniel," he reflected, looking down on Regina's still form. "But I do think the goodness and love is still there. It's just buried beneath, well, you should know better than anyone. And if you don't, I don't think she would appreciate me telling you."

"So now you're keeping her secrets from me?" Snow shook her head in disbelief. "Charming, what has happened? And I don't remember telling you about Daniel."

"You didn't," David reprimanded. "Speaking of keeping secrets, Regina seemed to think that you would have told me about him."

"Oh, I'm sure she relished telling you how I ruined her life, despite the fact that I was a small child," Snow's hurt was making her petulant.

"Actually," David said. "She left you out of the story entirely. I still don't know what role you played. She told Henry and I about Daniel together, and I don't think she wanted him to feel like he had to pick sides."

"Oh," Snow replied, the wind temporarily taken out of her sails.

"Didn't you always believe that she could change back? Become the loving woman you remembered?" David asked. "You always advocated for her—except for when you drank Rumpelstiltskin's potion and tried to assassinate her," he said calmly.

"And is this why you stopped me?" Snow retorted. "Were you lusting after her even then?"

"You know that's not true," David replied. "I know you're angry, and I know you feel betrayed, and you have every right to feel that way. But don't tarnish the memory of what we had because we don't have it anymore. I did love you. And you did love me. And it was true. I don't know why it couldn't last forever. Maybe it wasn't meant to. Maybe we were supposed to love each other through that trying period in both our lives; maybe we were supposed to help each other grow up, become the people we are now, help each other find our grown-up loves. Our grown-up lives. Because we are different people now, Snow. Now that we're not on the run."

"And now that we've been cursed," Snow looked bitterly at the unresponsive face of her step-mother.

"Blame Regina now, if it helps you, Snow," David said. "But eventually your sense of justice is going to require you to acknowledge that, in this case, she's blameless. She even insisted that I forget about her and stay with you when we got you and Emma back," he said.

"So why don't you?" Snow grasped desperately at the straw she was offered.

"We both know it would be a lie," David replied. "And I'm done living a lie. We both deserve better."

Snow knew conviction when she saw it. The expression was unfamiliar on her Charming, but then, he wasn't her Charming anymore, was he? She blinked the sudden tears from her eyes. "I have to go," she said and began to retreat.

"Snow," Charming said to her back. "I know you'll find what you're looking for. And I also know that you'll find it's not me."

Snow nodded slowly, refusing to face him. "Good-bye, Charming."

"Good-bye, Snow."

* * *

"What's wrong, kid?" Emma asked. Even considering Regina's unconscious state, she'd expected Henry to ask her questions about the Enchanted Forest and her adventures with Mary Margaret, but he hadn't asked a single one. Henry wasn't just worried; he was working on solving a problem. She recognized the look from when he was trying to make her believe in the curse.

"What if it is my fault?" Henry mumbled.

"What if what is your fault?" Emma asked.

"Mom being unconscious," Henry said. "What if it is my fault? Astrid said it was magical exhaustion, and she wouldn't have been exhausted if she hadn't been teaching me magic and helping to bring you and Mary Margaret back. And she only did that because of me. Everyone knows she hates Snow White, and you both hate each other. I'm the only reason she would help either of you. And maybe if she didn't, then she wouldn't be sick, and, and—" Henry's upset ramblings were interrupted by a sudden hiccup and Emma's hand on his arm.

"Hey," she murmured. "It's not your fault. Henry, look at me," Emma directed gently. "It's not your fault. Whatever is going on with your mom, she chose it. You're right that your mom and I are not the best of friends, but when was the last time anyone made your mom do anything she didn't want to do?"

Henry cracked a half smile. His mom was bossy, and she didn't take orders from anyone. That was true. Then his smile faded, "But she only wanted to help because of me."

"That doesn't make it your fault, kid," Emma said. All of these emotional conversations were draining her resources. She was more of a woman of action. Give her an angry ogre and a useless gun over a heart-to-heart any day. But this was Henry. So she struggled to find the right words. "That's what moms do. They give their best for their kids. Regina . . . she loves you, Henry. And I know that she doesn't have any regrets about helping you."

"I wish I could help her," Henry admitted.

"I'm sure just hearing that from you helped her a lot," Emma replied.

"I didn't tell her," Henry said.

"Why not?" Emma asked, surprised.

"I haven't really talked to her yet," Henry said.

"Oh, kid, you should talk to her," Emma said. "You should hold her hand and tell her how you feel." Emma was pretty sure that Regina was way too stubborn to die and leave her uncontested custody of Henry, but, just in case, she didn't want Henry to leave anything unsaid. Regrets sucked.

"What if I hurt her?" Henry asked.

"Henry, you won't hurt her," Emma reassured him. His worry was breaking her heart. And why would he think he could hurt Regina? The sensation of everything being topsy-turvy in Storybrooke that had nagged at her since the moment she stumbled from the well was back with a vengeance. Just what had happened while she was gone?

"But I think my magic hurts her," Henry blurted out. "She let us have tacos and pizza on week-days, and she slept for two hours in the afternoon. Mom never sleeps in the afternoon! She wouldn't tell me, but I think this—" he pulled a necklace from underneath his shirt with a big rock on the end of it—"hurts her when I do magic. But she made me promise not to take it off, and now I can't ask her if I should, and David told me not to do any more magic until Mom wakes up, but what if I do it accidentally—I don't want to hurt her anymore."

"Whoa, kid," Emma held up her hand in an effort to stall the flow of words from Henry's mouth. "You do magic?" This couldn't be good.

"Yeah," Henry replied impatiently. "That's how we got you and Mary Margaret back."

"Why didn't Regina do it?" Emma asked. She could feel the anger start boiling in her veins. How dare that witch get her son hooked on magic while she was gone? When she woke up, Mary Margaret would have to get in line; she would kill Regina herself.

"She didn't really explain it to me," Henry said. "But she said that she knew I wanted to help and this would be a good way. And she promised that I wouldn't accidentally kill you, so I got to do the magic for Operation Boomerang!" Henry's apprehension about his mom was temporarily replaced by his pride at his successful magical retrieval of Snow and Emma. He couldn't believe he got to miss school to do something so cool!

Emma was seething. Regina had used her absence to manipulate Henry into doing magic, and David had gone along with it. This was unbelievable. And somehow Henry now thought he was dangerous? This was unacceptable. That woman had a lot to answer for.

"Well, great job, kid," Emma said, hiding her rage. She had to focus on Henry. She had plenty of time later to be pissed at Regina. Again. "Thanks for bringing us home," she smiled. "And I know I'm not an expert on magic, but did your mom avoid touching you while you two were doing all of this magic?"

Henry searched his memory for a moment and then decisively replied, "No."

"Then it must be okay," Emma said. "Let's get you upstairs so you can hold her hand and talk to her. I know she will really like that." _And when she finally wakes up, I'll wring her scrawny neck._

"Thanks, Emma," Henry said, still uncertain, but feeling better. Emma always helped.

* * *

Snow walked out of Regina's room in a daze. Her marriage had just been dissolved . . . in a matter of minutes. All of that fighting for each other in the Enchanted Forest. All of the times they found each other. To have it just be over. It didn't feel real.

"Snow?" she heard the voice as if from far away.

"Yes?" she responded from habit.

"Let's get you home," Ruby said, linking her arm through Snow's.

"But, Emma . . ." Snow protested, her maternal instincts filtering through her shock.

"Can take care of herself," Ruby asserted. "Now, let's go," the young woman insisted, leading her friend towards the exit.

* * *

"David?" Emma asked as she and Henry entered the room. "Where's Mary Margaret?"

"She left with Ruby a few minutes ago," he said from his seat beside Regina.

"Oh," Emma said. Under any other circumstances, she'd be upset that Mary Margaret left without her, but today was a day for allowances. "Henry," she announced, placing her hands on her son's shoulders, "would like a few minutes alone with Regina."

David involuntarily tightened his grip on Regina's hand, loathe to leave her.

Henry noticed his grandfather's discomfort and, also worried about his mom, said, "You could stay right outside the door with Emma. Where you can see the monitors."

"Okay, buddy," David smiled. "Good idea." He hated leaving Regina's side, but he knew that, with Regina, putting Henry first was always the right answer. If anyone could talk her into waking up, it would be Henry.

* * *

"Mom?" Henry asked uncertainly as he approached her bedside. Everything was just so weird. He knew his mom was the Evil Queen, even though he wasn't supposed to say that anymore, and he knew that she'd done some really bad things, like trying to kill Emma, but she was good now. And she was his mom. And the past couple weeks she'd been acting like his mom. The mom he remembered from before—before he noticed the curse. He hadn't realized how much he missed her.

"Mom," he choked. "Please come back, Mom. I still need you. There was something hanging on to Emma when I pulled her through and so I had to pull it through too, but then I used the last dimensional portal to behead it, only I think I got its arm too, but I didn't stay to check, because you were hurt, and I don't know if that was right, and I hope that's not why you're hurt, and I just want you to come back. Please. I miss you, and I want you to come back." As his tears fell, Henry sprawled across his mom, wishing she would hug him back.

* * *

"Do you have a place where Henry and I can crash for a while?" Emma asked David, not bothering to mask her irritation at his clear attention to Regina's monitors over her shoulder. Intellectually, she knew this man was her father, but she was disgusted with him. How could he break up their family? After twenty-eight years, she had finally found her parents—the poster couple for True Love—and now they were breaking up? Fairy Tales sucked.

"Umm, sort of, but you're not going to like it," David replied, diverting his eyes to Emma's face, temporarily satisfied that Regina's read-outs were acceptable and that Henry seemed all right standing by Regina's bedside.

"What is it?" Emma asked, her patience depleted. She just wanted to take care of Henry and allow her mother-friend the time and space to get drunk, have a nervous breakdown or whatever, without worrying about upsetting a ten year old.

"Henry moved back into his old room at Regina's, and I went with him," David said.

"Really?" she asked, her tone laced with judgment. How could he do this? Sure, Regina was hot, but really, to move in with the woman already, and while his wife was missing? _Really?_

"Emma, it's not what you think," David protested, but he knew his obsession with watching Regina's monitors was doing nothing to help his case.

"Whatever," Emma replied. She was too tired to deal with this shit. "Don't worry about it," she said, disgusted. "I'll take Henry to the loft with me." If Mary Margaret was too upset to be around Henry, she was sure Ruby would be willing to let her crash with her for a few days while Emma and Henry stayed in the loft_._

"Emma," David pleaded. "It was just for the past few days while she got Henry ready to do the spell. We wanted him to feel comfortable and safe, so we had him move back into his old room for the familiarity, and I moved into the guest room down the hall. And Regina made it quite clear that it was a temporary arrangement, and she was kicking me out as soon as you and Snow returned."

"Well, good luck finding a place then," Emma replied. "Because you are not living in the loft either."

David knew how his love for Regina must look to Emma. Under the curse, she had seen spineless David Nolan unable to choose between his wife, Kathryn, and Mary Margaret. Now, just after discovering that they were all family, he abandons them for the woman that caused all of their problems. He had broken Emma's trust without ever having a chance to gain it. His little girl. All he'd wanted in the world was to protect her. Before he could say another word, though, his peripheral vision catalogued Henry's small form launching itself at Regina.

And then there was white.

* * *

.

.

**Disclaimer (cont.): "I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." – Mr. Darcy, **_**Pride & Prejudice**__** by Jane Austen**_

**Also, thank you to .Winter for the description of Snow in "battle mode." I couldn't have said it better myself, so I didn't.**

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait on this one. As several of you know, life got a bit nutty for me this month. I'll try to get the next chapter up within a week. And, as you can probably tell, we are nearing the end of this particular tale. I'm not sure how many chapters are left (could be one, could be five), but we are in the home stretch. Thank you again for your support of this story, and I'd love to know what you think of this installment.**


	32. Insufficient explanations

Janet was not happy. Not only had she just lost another twenty bucks to the creep in imaging—she still couldn't believe Mary Margaret hadn't slapped David Nolan onto his cute ass—but now she was going to have to schedule yet another follow up appointment with her ophthalmologist. She didn't know much about LASIK surgery, but she was pretty sure that being temporarily blinded by dazzling white light was not good for one's eyes.

And just what was she supposed to put on her insurance paperwork? _Admitted Evil Queen against better judgment and suffered inevitable negative consequence._ Would that fall under comprehensive coverage? It should. By all accounts, Her Majesty was a walking natural disaster.

Janet glanced over toward the woman in question. _Great. And now she's awake._ Maybe she should wait to fill out that insurance paperwork. With the Evil Queen conscious, the damage was probably just beginning.

* * *

"I don't understand how this happened," Snow said, absently holding the cup of tea Ruby handed her.

"I don't think anyone does," Ruby replied from her perch against the kitchen counter.

"He woke me up with true love's kiss," Snow recalled distantly. "How can that just go away?"

Ruby shook her head in understanding. "I don't know," she said, studying her friend compassionately.

Before Snow could drift too far into her own mind, Ruby spoke again. "What I do know," she said with a hint of teasing, "is that you smell terrible." When Snow began to chuckle at Ruby's exaggerated sniff, she continued, "What is that? Dead ogre?"

Snow threw a placemat at her friend. "As you may recall, the only running water in the Enchanted Forest is in streams," she replied.

"Well," Ruby teased, "It smells like it is time for you to take advantage of the shower."

"Ha. Ha," Snow replied, standing. "Fine. I do miss conditioner. Ooo! And Granny's lobster bisque! Please, Ruby, can we have some of her bisque?"

Ruby laughed. It was good to see some of her friend's quintessential enthusiasm shining through. "Okay, you shower, and I'll pick up the bisque."

"Thanks, Ruby," Snow said. "For everything."

Ruby just smiled and nodded. "Go. Shower. No bisque until you shower," she winked.

* * *

"Henry!" Regina breathed, clutching the small form she'd recognize anywhere.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed. "You're awake!"

"And in a hospital," Regina commented, taking in her surroundings. This couldn't be good. But with Henry hugging her, she would overlook those implications for the moment. "Are you all right?" she asked him.

"Yes—" Henry's reply was cut off as David and Emma burst into the room. Emma and David were instantly beside Henry and Regina, respectively, checking them for injuries or burns.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"Language, Miss Swan," Regina said.

Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Nice to know you're back to normal," she replied.

"Are you?" David asked quietly, taking Regina's hand. "Are you all right?"

Regina shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting between Emma and Henry. "Yes, David," she squeezed his hand and shifted herself into a sitting position. "I'm fine."

"Actually fine, or holding out on me fine?" David asked.

"Actually fine," Regina glared at him. "Better than fine, even. I haven't felt this good—" she let go of David's hand and flexed her fingers, experimentally emitting sparks of magic from her fingertips. "—Since well before the curse."

"Your magic looks different," Henry said.

Regina set off a larger shower of sparks that disappeared harmlessly into the air. "It does, doesn't it?" she asked, smiling subtly.

"Would someone please fill me in here?" Emma demanded.

"Has this need for instant gratification always been a problem for you, Miss Swan?" Regina snapped.

"Regina," David said, a reminder in his tone.

Regina huffed, but restrained herself from further comment.

"I like it," Henry said, looking at his mom.

"I do too," Regina smiled at him.

Henry smiled back.

"I don't get it," Emma said.

Henry sighed in impatience. "You know how my mom's magic has always been purple?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "I vaguely recall a purple cloud of doom before being pulled into that wacky hat."

"Emma," David chastised mildly, but she answered with a glare that clearly communicated that his parental rights had been revoked.

"Well, look," Henry instructed, as Regina shot a few more sparks from her fingers. "It's still purple, but it's like brighter now, or something."

"It is," David said in wonderment, turning to Regina with a smirk at the edge of his smile.

"Shut up," Regina told him.

"I barely said anything!" David protested, his joy obvious.

"You were going to," Regina countered.

"Come on, Emma," Henry said, taking Emma's hand and leading her to the door. "Let's go figure out how to get Mom out of this place."

"Sometimes I think he's too wise for his age," Regina commented as she watched the door close behind her son.

"He gets that from me," David said cheekily.

"I'm sure," Regina replied sarcastically. Before she could say another word, however, David's lips were on hers, and she felt herself responding. Her hand cupped his face, and she felt his hand cradle her neck and jaw, keeping her close to him. Their kisses were firm, joyful, and playful all at once, and Regina felt herself laughing lightly as they pulled apart, David still gazing at her.

"I'm so glad you're here," he said.

"Me too," she replied, blushing despite herself as David brushed her hair from her face.

* * *

"Kid," Emma said as they headed toward a very crabby-looking nurse. "Why did you make me leave?"

"I know you just got back, so you don't really know what's going on yet, but Mom and David needed some time together," Henry explained knowledgeably.

Emma sighed in frustration. "Just what has been going on?"

Henry gave Emma an appraising look and decided to just give her the simple truth, "Gramps loves Mom, and I'm pretty sure she loves him back."

Emma plopped into a chair near the nurses' station. She had reached her limit. Maybe she should just jump back into the well and see if she could land in a less fucked up dimension.

Henry sat down beside her. "I didn't like it either at first," he said. "But Mom is different now. You'll see."

Emma cracked half a smile. Her kid had hope. She didn't have any, but at least he did. Maybe this dimension wasn't completely fucked up. "Okay, kid," she conceded. "Let's see how much paperwork we have to do to get your mom discharged."

* * *

Snow felt better. Amazing what hot water, steam, citrus body wash, and a clean set of clothes could do for a person. She suspected Ruby knew that. _Sneaky._ But Snow couldn't repress a small smile over her bisque. Ruby always could help her survive.

* * *

Regina cleared her throat and began to compose herself. David sighed. A composed Regina was usually a Regina determined to shut him out.

"You're about to enforce your stupid rule, aren't you?" David asked from his seat beside her.

"Yes," she said. "And my rule isn't stupid," she added, grabbing his hand. "You know it's not."

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "I know," he said. "But I still don't like it."

"We need to do this right," Regina stated.

"Oh, so we are doing this then?" David replied.

"We'll see," Regina said with a mock-glare, irritated that she'd forgotten to include the conditional 'if' in her last statement. _Please don't go back to Snow. Wait for me. Pick me._

"How long did we settle on? Two weeks?" David asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"You know very well it was longer than two weeks," Regina replied with feigned aggravation.

"Sixteen days," David negotiated.

"Six months," Regina replied.

"What if you're underestimating everyone? What if the town moves on quicker than you think?" David countered.

Regina gave him a sad smile. "I love the faith you have in people," she said. "But it's not in my nature."

"That's why you have me," David replied.

With the same sad smile but with her eyes averted to the hospital sheets, Regina quietly confessed, "But I still may not be ready."

David gently took her chin in his hands and tilted her face toward his. "Regina, I have said it before, and I will say it again. You are not the same woman who cast the curse. You would never do such a thing again. I know it. I know who you are, and I know who you want to be, and neither of those people is the Evil Queen. Not even close."

She wanted to believe him so much that it tore at her heart. "How do you know?"

"I just do," he stated with conviction. "I'm the one with the faith, remember?"

She smiled and nodded, but still doubted.

"But, Regina," David continued, "If you need six months to prove that to yourself, you have it. I'll be waiting." He kissed her briefly. "But I'd still prefer if you only needed two weeks, or maybe just a couple of days?" he teased.

Regina laughed lightly. "You'll be the first to know," she assured him.

"I'd better be," he grinned. "One more stipulation—"

"I never should have helped you wade through that paperwork in the sheriff's office," Regina commented. "Now you are using words like 'stipulation' against me."

"One more stipulation," David repeated. "Your rule is not in effect on days in which you spend any part in a hospital."

"You really did read some of the 'Policies and Procedures,' didn't you?" Regina asked, simultaneously surprised and impressed.

"I did," David confirmed. "Do you accept my terms?"

"I wasn't aware you were giving me a choice in the matter," Regina stated.

"I'm not," David replied. "I'm merely being polite."

"Charming," Regina replied sarcastically.

Then, returning her attention to her surroundings as her peripheral vision caught Henry, Emma, and a disgruntled nurse moving toward her room, Regina noticed that the pillow was not scratching her skin as she expected. Surprised, she asked David, "Did you bring my pillow to the hospital?"

David smiled and shook his head, "Henry. He loves you, you know."

Regina gave him a tight smile in return. Her heart was so full of joy and gratitude she thought it might burst. "I know—now."

David beamed at her and placed another kiss on her forehead as Henry, Emma, and the same nurse that admitted Regina entered. Emma shuffled to the side of the room, still uncomfortable with the proceedings, while Henry walked straight toward his mother.

"I tried to sign the forms for you, but I'm ten," Henry explained, shrugging, as the nurse handed Regina a clipboard with several sheets of paper and a pen attached.

"Thank you, Henry," Regina said, taking the paperwork from the irritated nurse.

As Regina skimmed the forms and signed on the appropriate lines, the nurse spoke, "Please refrain from performing magic while on the premises, Miss Mills. It's disruptive to the other patients, who need to relax and recuperate, not feel terrorized."

"She wasn't hurting anybody," Henry protested.

"Shh, Henry," Regina gently admonished. "Nurse—Janet," she read the woman's nametag, "is just doing her job." She handed the clipboard back to Janet. "Since we are leaving," Regina stated in her most mayoral manner, "my magic use or lack thereof no longer concerns this hospital. Thank you so much," she finished in a tone that was less than grateful.

Janet took the clipboard, glared at the queen, and exited the room, a faint "Good riddance," left in her wake.

David shook his head at Regina's smirk as the door closed behind Janet. "I don't think she's going to nominate you for Miss Congeniality, Regina."

"Everyone knows Miss Congeniality is code for 'Not the Winner'," Regina countered. "Who needs that title when you're already Queen?" she quirked a teasing eyebrow at the shepherd-king.

"Oh my god," Emma interrupted. "You two are, like, bantering. That is sick. This whole thing is sick. Stop it."

"Are you quite all right, Miss Swan?" Regina asked. "Maybe you should sit down," she gestured to the chair behind Emma as though it were a seat in her court.

Despite herself, Emma plopped into the seat and dropped her head into her hands.

"Really, Miss Swan, given your name, one would think you could exhibit a modicum of grace," Regina criticized.

"Regina, cut it out," David said.

Sighing, Regina returned his gaze and relented, "Sorry. Old habits."

Emma's head snapped up, and she looked at Henry in amazement, "Did your mom just apologize and mean it?"

"Yep," Henry replied, grinning. "I told you. She's changed."

"Miss Swan," Regina attempted genuine politeness. "Perhaps we could continue discussing this at home."

"Continue?" Emma scoffed. "I wasn't aware we had started," she mumbled.

"Petulance is unbecoming, Miss Swan," Regina replied.

Emma rolled her eyes and stood. "Let's go," she said.

"Come on, Emma," Henry said, pulling on his overstuffed backpack and leading her out by the hand. "And if you want to sound fancier next time, you can say 'commenced.'"

"Yeah, thanks, kid," Emma responded, confused. " 'Initiate' is another good word for 'start,' if you're collecting words."

"Initiate," Henry tried the word out on his tongue. "Initiate, Commence, Start. Thanks, Emma!"

"He's just excited to have her back," David murmured into Regina's ear as he led her out the door by the small of her back.

Regina nodded mutely. She knew Henry loved her; she wouldn't be alive and awake otherwise, but she knew better than most that love did not solve all problems. Henry could love her, and he could still walk out of her life with Emma.

* * *

**A/N: I know I still haven't explained the "white" satisfactorily, but I thought this stood alone reasonably well, so I wanted to go ahead and post it for y'all. Thank you again for all of the support, and, as always, your comments are encouraged!**


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